Rep. Heath Shuler, one of the Blue Dog Democrats who was able to withstand Tuesday’s GOP tidal wave but remains a top target in 2012, called on Nancy Pelosi to step down from leadership, and reiterated that he would challenge her if nobody else emerged, Roll Call reports.
“If there’s not a viable alternative – like I said all along – I can go recruit moderate Members to run in swing districts,” he said. “In that situation, I could do it better than she could, and that’s what it’s going to take. It’s going to take moderate candidates to win back those seats.”
Even if Pelosi steps down, it would be an uphill battle for any more moderate Democrat to become party leader, because many of the more moderate members were wiped out on Tuesday, meaning that the remaining Democrats are skewed more liberal.
