Pelosi Works to Outwit Critics over Leadership Role
CABRERA: Immigrants aren't the only boogie man Republicans are pointing to in close races across the country. The real nightmare, many in the GOP are pushing, if the Democrats win the House, is Nancy Pelosi, and the potential of her returning to her old role as House speaker. Now, Pelosi is featured in GOP attack ads in states far from her California home district. And as CNN's Manu Raju reports, in many with those states with House races being very close, Democratic candidates aren't taking the bait. They're running away from Pelosi.</s>MANU RAJU, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It has been a decade since a Democrat won a House seat in this conservative eastern Kansas district that overwhelmingly supported Donald Trump in 2016. But in yet another major warning sign for Republicans ahead of next week's midterms, a Democrat, Paul Davis, could pick up this seat as he pitches himself as a middle of the road candidate. If Democrats like Paul Davis do win, that could flip the House and effectively make Nancy Pelosi the next speaker. There is just one problem.</s>PAUL DAVIS (D), KANSAS CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE: There isn't a circumstance in which I'm going to support Pelosi. There are times when you just need some new blood, and I think this is the time.</s>RAJU: Democrats could face their own leadership struggle as 30 Democrats who stand a real chance of winning next week say they won't support her for the job.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's why I won't support Nancy Pelosi.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I won't support Nancy Pelosi.</s>RAJU: Yet, Pelosi is still the heavy favorite to become speaker and has no viable opponent.</s>NANCY PELOSI (D), CALIFORNIA: I think I'm worth the trouble, quite frankly.</s>RAJU: She's raised more than $121 million for her colleagues this cycle and has the power to give member spots on key committees. And if they take the House, Pelosi's allies will make this argument.</s>REP. ERIC SWALWELL (D), CALIFORNIA: And I think that will have taken away the argument that she is, you know, a drag or affecting, you know, candidates. If we won, then that really wasn't effective and then I don't understand what the case against her would be.</s>RAJU: Here in Kansas, Republican Steve Watkins, an Army veteran and first-time candidate, who was also vying for the open seat, is trying to link Davis to Pelosi.</s>STEVE WATKINS (R), KANSAS CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE: He is saying what he thinks he has to say in order to get elected, and Kansas voters aren't being fooled by that.</s>RAJU: But a recent CNN poll showed that Pelosi is not a major factor for most voters nationally.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't think it's really having much of an impact. As I said on day one of the campaign, I'm not going to support her, and there's nothing that's going to change that. But whatever the Republicans are going to say, I think, is just, you know, trying to muddy the waters, which they, you know, do time again and time again.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We've seen this movie before.</s>RAJU: It's been a strategy that Republicans have tried throughout the country this election season, dropping nearly $90 million in ads demonizing Pelosi. But as they go door to door in this Chanute, Kansas,-</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi, how's it going?</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm out here walking for Steve Watkins.</s>RAJU: Watkins' aides acknowledges that Pelosi is not the only issue motivating voters.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'd say one out of every four people who bring up control of Congress, out of those people, one of four bring up Pelosi.</s>RAJU (on camera): Now, the race may ultimately come down to character. Now, Watkins has faced questions about whether he inflated his resume, something he denies, while Davis has faced GOP attacks about a 1998 incident where he was at a strip club raided by police. Now, he wasn't charged with a crime, but he did tell me I was at the wrong place at the wrong time. And he said, voters are tired of, quote, "sleazy ads," to the tune of $12 million on both sides in the key House district. Manu Raju, CNN, Washington.</s>CABRERA: Thanks to Manu. No question, if the Democrats take back the House after Tuesday's election, there is unsettled businesses over who will win leadership roles. Thursday, the chairman of the Congressional black caucus, Representative Cedric Richman, made it clear that a black lawmaker should hold one of the top two leadership posts, if House Democrats win big on Tuesday. Now, that demand, of sorts, is seen as a potential threat to Pelosi and minority whip, Steny Hoyer, who are expected to return to their former posts as the top House leaders. Although, there was a little bit of walking back we saw on this issue on Friday. I want to bring in CNN Political Analyst Rachael Bade, joining us now. She's also the congressional reporter for "Politico." And you have a deep dive this week, Rachael, on Pelosi and what she's been doing. How big of a resistance against Pelosi as speaker is there, really, among Democrats?</s>RACHAEL BADE, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: You know, I would say it's a lot smaller than people think it is. You know, we've been hearing, for the past few months, about this incoming Democratic freshman class that would come in, ban together and take her out. But if you actually look at the 40 Democrats most likely to win, I'm talking about candidates running against Republicans in either toss-up districts, lean or likely Democratic seats, sure, they're calling for new leadership. But most of them are actually not saying I won't again -- I won't vote against Nancy Pelosi. There are 11 of the 40 who have said that. And I have called all of them, and only five of them would confirm to me that that means no against Pelosi on the House floor which is the vote that matters most. And, meanwhile, Pelosi has been, sort of, ruling these candidates that are --</s>CABRERA: Yes.</s>BADE: -- most likely to win in coming to Washington, doing these, sort of, secret fundraisers. They can't be seen with her publicly, because Republicans will attack them for that. But she's raising money for them privately. She's sending out her campaign staff to help these folks. She's doing things like writing personal notes and making phone calls. This is very Pelosi. And there's a reason she's been leading the Democratic caucus for 15 years, and that is because she knows how to woo people. And she knows how to twist arms.</s>CABRERA: I thought it was really interesting, in your piece, you even mentioned that, in some cases, some of these people who have publicly criticized her, in order to, perhaps, get some of the vote that they want, had actually taken donations from her. Is that right?</s>BADE: That's absolutely right. I think there's, basically, a pitch being made from Pelosi allies to these candidates. That, look, you can vote against her privately in the caucus. This is a secret vote. She only needs a majority of the Democrats to get the nomination to be speaker. But then, you can return to your districts and say, listen, I voted against her. But then, Democrats, they chose -- they chose Pelosi. And now, I have to back the Democrat for speaker. But, see, I don't think that's going to play. I think that a lot of these people, if they end up doing that and coming to Washington, even after saying new leadership and end up voting for Pelosi, you can bet that that is the first ad Republicans are going to cut against them next election cycle. And they're going to be really vulnerable for that.</s>CABRERA: I spoke with David Axelrod earlier. He has seen Pelosi at work behind closed doors. He said she's a master at what she does. And I asked him to explain. Watch.</s>DAVID AXELROD, CNN HOST, "THE AXE FILES": Nancy Pelosi is a tough competitor. She comes from a political family from the wards of Baltimore. Her father was mayor. Her brother was mayor. I asked her once on one of my "AXE FILES," what she learned by growing up in that family. She said, I learned how to count. And so I think she knows how to count votes, and she knows how to count votes in precincts, and she knows how to count votes in the House. I would not count her out.</s>CABRERA: Is that the consensus among those that have worked closely with Pelosi?</s>RACHAEL BADE, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Yes, absolutely. Consider this. Last year, Democrats were supposed to take the House, or last election cycle. There was a lot of talk amongst Democrats about ousting Pelosi when they did not. And 63 people voted against her privately in a secret ballot election. But by the time they actually came to the House floor, only four of them voted against her. She was able to twist that many arms. The thing is you have to watch 218. That's the number of votes that she needs. Say Democrats pick up 30 seats on Tuesday. She can only lose seven people on the floor. I have already confirmed five candidates who are voting against her. Last year, there were four. That's nine. There are people who are currently in Congress who are privately talking about banding together to try to push her out and keep her from getting 218. I would not say by any means that she is in the clear, and I think this is going to be the toughest re-election to the speaker's gavel that she has ever had. She's going to face steep and intense headwinds and a steep uphill climb. But, again, she is -- she's been around for a long time. She knows how to do this. She is clearly making a play and laying the ground work to do it.</s>CABRERA: Rachael Bade, thanks for joining us.</s>BADE: Thank you.</s>CABRERA: The U.N. says Yemen's civil war is "the worst humanitarian crisis in the world," and it is unfolding right before our eyes. These images are so disturbing. We have more images, more stories that we need to share with you about the toll of this year's-long civil war that's having on the most vulnerable. Powerful report, next.