After the 2016 election, Congressman Seth Moulton took a political risk by joining a small group of House Democrats trying to prevent Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi from becoming speaker when the Democrats take over the House of Representatives in January.
Now, Moulton is again leading the charge for new leadership, and this time, he is confident the votes are there to do it.
It's a crusade that does not seem to concern Pelosi, who has said she is 100 percent confident she has the votes. Moulton believes otherwise.
Pelosi can only afford to lose the support of about 12 Democrats. Moulton said there are 10 current House Democrats who will not vote for Pelosi and at least a dozen incoming Democrats who called for new leadership on the campaign trail. Moulton said he believes Pelosi will try to twist some arms, but does not think she'll be successful.
The Congressman thinks the new Democrats are not going to break a campaign promise with the first vote they take when they get to Washington.
"That's just not the character of these amazing new leaders who stood up and won tough races in Trump districts to help us take back the House," he said.
As for Pelosi's pledge to be a "transitional leader," Moulton said Americans might want a new system entirely.
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"Every single place I went, if I said, 'It's time for a generation of new leadership,' I got rounds of applause," he said. "I never once had a single American come up to me and say, 'You know what we really need is transitional leadership.' I mean, come on."
Moulton said his efforts are not motivated by a personal desire to fill the position, and he said he has pledged not to run.
The rest of the returning Massachusetts House Delegation is expected to vote for Pelosi. The two newly elected members, Lori Trahan and Ayanna Pressley, say they have not yet decided.
Democrats took control of the House on Tuesday night. Votes are still being counted from races that are still undecided, and Democratic control is likely to grow.
Leadership elections will be held after Thanksgiving during a closed session.
