nancy pelosi hasn<u+2019>t officially said she<u+2019>s running for minority leader but is widely expected to seek the top democratic spot again. | ap photo by heather caygle and john bresnahan 11/11/16 01:26 pm est a group of several dozen female democrats is circulating a letter asking nancy pelosi to stay on as house minority leader, claiming president-elect donald trump<u+2019>s history with women means her leadership is needed now more than ever. <u+201c>after everything that happened in this campaign, the defeat of hillary clinton is an especially heavy blow to the aspirations of young women and girls,<u+201d> the letter states, which is primarily being circulated by rep. doris matsui (d-calif.) according to two sources. <u+201c>you have our support, and we ask you to continue as the leader for our party and our nation.<u+201d> story continued below pelosi hasn<u+2019>t officially said she<u+2019>s running for minority leader but is widely expected to seek the top democratic spot again. however, there's been grumbling among some members about democrats<u+2019> dismal showing in tuesday's election, where they only picked up a handful of house seats despite predictions from pelosi and other top democrats of broader gains, as well as questions about what that means going forward in trump's washington. the top three house democrats <u+2014> pelosi, minority whip steny hoyer (md.) and assistant minority leader jim clyburn (s.c.) <u+2014> are all in their mid-70s. pelosi has led house democrats for more than a decade and has an extraordinarily loyal following within the caucus. even members that privately question whether it<u+2019>s time for a shakeup admit there doesn<u+2019>t seem to be a viable challenger in the wings. <u+201c>we believe that now, more than ever, our caucus and our country need your strategic, battle-tested leadership to guide us through the years ahead,<u+201d> the letter states. matsui<u+2019>s office didn<u+2019>t respond to a request for comment but a source said they are still working to collect signatures. forty female democrats have signed onto the letter, including reps. louise slaughter (n.y.), rosa delauro (conn.), nita lowey (n.y.) and jan schakowsky (ill.) <u+2014> all longtime pelosi loyalists <u+2014> among others. pelosi made history as the first female house speaker in 2007 and, with clinton<u+2019>s defeat, still remains the most powerful woman in u.s. politics. trump has been accused of sexual assault by several women<u+2014>all of which he denies<u+2014>and was caught on tape talking about forcing himself on women. <u+201c>under your leadership, democrats delivered historic progress in the lives of women, workers, students, veterans, seniors and lgbt americans. working with president obama, we built an america that is more inclusive, more secure, more prosperous, and more just,<u+201d> the group writes. <u+201c>with a president trump and a republican congress, this hard-won progress faces its greatest challenge.<u+201d> by michael grunwald by bill scher by thomas wright by joshua zeitz
democratic women call on pelosi to stay on as leader - politico
heather caygle john bresnahan michael grunwald