Emboldened after her win against a party primary candidate she later conceded was not even much of a challenge, U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette is making a party leadership play to run in the ranks alongside Nancy Pelosi and Steny Hoyer.
Ironically, the National Journal reports DeGette might not be much of a challenger, and her own colleagues even doubt she will even follow through on her bid.
It seems the only folks who take DeGette seriously at all are the establishment Democratic voters in the 1st Congressional District who have reelected her for decades.
DeGette isn’t even trying to run a leadership campaign against an actual opponent, she’s just banking on a vacancy in case the world stops spinning and Democrats actually take back control of the House.
According to the National Journal, DeGette is already asking for support if that happens and if Pelosi is voted House Speaker and if Hoyer is voted majority leader.
That leaves a vacancy for the whip position and DeGette wants to be that whip.
DeGette already holds the honorary title of chief deputy whip, and reportedly told the Almanac of American Politics, “If the opportunity arose, I would love to be whip.
“I love to whip!” she continued.
She’s had the opportunity to run for whip before, but then chickened out citing the disruptiveness that an internal leadership struggle might cause for the party establishment.
Sounds like DeGette only wants to be whip if there’s no chance someone will run against her, and in the end all she gets is whipped.