Nancy Pelosi of California has been officially elected US House of Representatives Speaker, reclaiming control of the House.
She defeated the Republican nominee Kevin McCarthy, winning 220 votes. McCarthy becomes the House minority leader.
As House speaker, Pelosi will regularly face off against President Donald Trump and will preside over an emboldened and energized Democratic majority that is poised to launch aggressive oversight of the President and his administration.
Pelosi also makes history as she reclaims a title she previously held when she served as the first and so far only female House speaker from 2007 to 2011.
A small, but vocal, faction of Democrats initially worked to derail Pelosi’s bid to become the next speaker following the 2018 midterm elections, but no challenger against her ever emerged and she ultimately succeed in winning over many of her critics.
Twelve Democrats voted for others besides Pelosi, including former Vice President Joe Biden, Sen. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, Rep. Cheri Bustos of Illinois, Rep. Stephanie Murphy of Florida, Rep. John Lewis of Georgia, Rep. Joe Kennedy of Massachusetts, Rep. Marcia Fudge of Ohio, and Stacey Abrams, who unsuccessfully ran for governor of Georgia.
Three Democrats voted present.
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