Another Democratic Congressman Withdraws Support for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi

Oct. 19, 2010— -- Nancy Pelosi's grip on her position as Speaker of the House grew more tenuous Tuesday after a Democratic congressman joined the ranks of those who said they would not vote for her again as speaker, and another incumbent Democrat suggested she might not even run for speaker in 2011.

The comments themselves do not spell the end for Pelosi's leadership in the House, but they do indicate her hold on the top job may be in question, especially if Democrats maintain only a slim majority in the House after the coming midterm elections.

Even before the Nov. 2 election results are known, at least three incumbent Democrats have said they will definitively oppose Pelosi, and several Democratic challengers have taken the same stance. While that number is small, those votes could make the difference, if Pelosi seeks another term. And at least one congressman says, even that is a big "if."

"From what we're hearing, she's probably not going to run for speaker again," Rep. Mike McIntyre, D-NC, told ABC affiliate WWAY in North Carolina. "And if she does, I'm confident she's going to have opposition, and I look forward to supporting that opposition. We want to have a more moderate type of alternative for leadership, and I'm confident we're gonna have that alternative. You know, when she had opposition before, I voted for her opposition, not for her. And we're expecting her to have opposition this time."

Contrary to what McIntyre said, there has been no official indication from Pelosi's office that she would not seek the speakership again.

Meanwhile, Rep. Mike McMahon, D-NY, told a local newspaper editorial board on Staten Island that the question of voting for Pelosi for speaker, was premature, at best.

"It's hard to answer a hypothetical question when you don't know who the candidates are, you don't know if she's running again," McMahon said, according to the newspaper's website.