Sherrill wouldn’t vote Pelosi to leadership

Congressional candidate Mikie Sherrill announced that she would not vote House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi into a House leadership position if she was elected to fill retiring Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen’s seat.

“I’m glad to see that Paul Ryan decided not to run for reelection, but in the Democratic party, we have to look at ourselves as well,” Sherrill said. “So, I won’t be supporting Nancy Pelosi for leadership either, because we know that the next 50 years aren’t going to look like the last 50 years, and we need a new generation of leaders who are going to bring forward fresh ideas as to how we move this country forward.”

The move could be a play to win over liberal Democrats who might be put off by the institutional support Sherrill has received in the race.

Pelosi’s brand took a major hit after Hillary Clinton lost in 2016, and though she managed to keep her leadership position, beating out Ohio Rep. Tim Ryan 134 votes to 63, her popularity among younger and more liberal Democrats leaves much to be desired.

Since Sherrill’s biggest primary challenge comes from the left, through social worker Tamara Harris, support from otherwise disaffected Democrats could prove valuable come June 5.

But, it might be more helpful if Sherrill had picked a torchbearer to replace Pelosi, who has led House Democrats for 15 years.

“No, I don’t have an alternative in mind,” Sherrill told the Globe after the event.