NJ Democrat snubs Pelosi, who narrowly wins new term as speaker

A congresswoman from New Jersey was one of five Democrats who did not vote for Nancy Pelosi's fourth term as speaker of the House.

U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill, who was sworn in on Sunday for a second term representing New Jersey's 11th Congressional District, and two other Democrats voted "present."

Sherrill, who has now twice won what once was a reliably Republican district, has previously shied away from Pelosi.

It was the second time Sherrill voted against Pelosi. The rest of the Democrats in the New Jersey delegation supported the San Francisco congresswoman, who won by a slim 216-209 vote.

In a written statement, Sherrill said she "committed to the people of the 11th District that I would fight for new leadership and my vote today reflects that. I look forward to continuing to grow strong leadership in the Democratic Party."

Sherrill posted a picture on her Twitter account of her membership pin, with the caption "reporting for duty for the 117th Congress."

Pelosi faced some resistance from the more left or progressive wing of her party, which voted for her in the end. But Sherrill has positioned herself as more of a centrist.

Several people asked about her vote in the replies to the tweet.

"Congrats... now tell me why you didn't vote for Pelosi? I would like to know since I voted for you what your reasoning was," @DarkLeiaofForce asked.

"I just read you didn’t vote for Nancy Pelosi for House Speaker. I strongly believe that during this critical time, Democrats must be united, and have one front," @eva95316153 wrote.

"Very weak voting Present for Speaker vote. I hope people remember this in the mid-terms," @PaulH12238719 wrote.

"Your not voting for Pelosi for Speaker of the House almost put us in jeopardy of having Kevin McCarthy!! You better do your job for US, who voted you in, or we can just as easily VOTE YOU OUT," @lajaharmony wrote.

U.S. Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine, voted for U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill. — the Constitution doesn't require the speaker to be a House member. Pennsylvania U.S. Rep. Conor Lamb voted for New York U.S. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, who is seen as a strong contender to succeed Pelosi whenever she steps down.

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNJ