Nancy Pelosi says she has the votes to be elected president

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi is convinced that she has the votes to be elected Speaker of the House, she said at a press conference on Thursday. predicting elections of Democratic leaders to be held later this month. Pelosi is currently unchallenged as Speaker of the House of Representatives of the 116th Congress, when Democrats become the majority, but several Democrats have expressed dissatisfaction with her leadership and her desire to elect a new leader.

Asked about the leadership race, Pelosi encouraged other members to challenge her for the hammer. "Come on, the water is hot," she joked.

When a reporter asked him about a letter from members opposed to his candidacy, Pelosi noted that no one – not even the journalist – had seen the letter yet. She also dismissed the importance of the race.

"I have a day job here different from what's happening on the political side," she said. She also expressed confidence that if the election were held today, she would win the presidency. "I intend to win the presidency with Democratic votes, and my caucus is very supportive of the presidency of the House," she said.

She also discussed the possibility of becoming a "transitional" speaker, paving the way for the appointment of a new parliamentary leader at the end of her term.

During the conference, Pelosi also praised the progress made by Democrats in the House in the midterm elections, saying that this year's first-year Democratic class was the largest since the "Watergate Babies". She also noted the record number of women elected to Congress in 2018. When all votes are counted, CBS News estimates that more than 100 women will be elected to the House of Representatives.

Bo Erickson contributed to this report.