Debbie Wasserman Schultz, the chair of the Democratic National Committee and the first Jewish congresswoman elected from Florida, is eying the much-coveted minority leader position if Nancy Pelosi decides to step down, according to reports.
Pelosi, 72, has yet to publicly declare her plans, but a number of names—including Steny Hoyer and Chris Van Hollen, both from Maryland have been mentioned as possible replacements. Other possibilities include James Clyburn from South Carolina and Wasserman Schultz, who has served Florida’s heavily Jewish 20th district since 2005.
Pelsosi recently celebrated her 25th anniversary in Congress and was re-elected this week with nearly 85 percent of the vote, her second-highest showing after 1998. But her daughter, filmmaker Alexandra Pelosi has indicated that her mother was ready to retire. “She’s 71,” the younger Pelosi said last year in an interview, “she wants to have a life, she’s done.”
Wasserman Schultz raised eyebrows recently after a profile in Vogue shower her nearly unrecognizable, with straight hair—instead of her signature curly locks—as well as heavy makeup and designer clothes.
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