Maintaining the Organizational Cartel: How Nancy Pelosi Won Election as Speaker of the House

17 Pages Posted: 21 Jul 2020

See all articles by Matthew Green

Matthew Green

Catholic University of America

Douglas B. Harris

Loyola College

Date Written: February 24, 2020

Abstract

Nancy Pelosi’s 2019 candidacy for the House Speaker-ship faced significant opposition within the Democratic Caucus, even though her party had won control of the chamber and she faced no challenger. We provide statistical evidence that opposition to Pelosi was ideological, age-related, and more prevalent among party outsiders. Pelosi managed to overcome that opposition, win election as Speaker, and thus maintain her party’s organizational cartel power in part by giving benefits in exchange for support from rebels who were least likely to actually vote against her. These findings are consistent with the goal salience theory of leadership selection and vote buying models of congressional coalition-building.

Keywords: Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House, Organizational Cartel, Leadership Race

Suggested Citation

Green, Matthew and Harris, Douglas B., Maintaining the Organizational Cartel: How Nancy Pelosi Won Election as Speaker of the House (February 24, 2020). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3638134 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3638134

Matthew Green (Contact Author)

Catholic University of America ( email )

620 Michigan Avenue NE
Washington, DC 20064
United States

Douglas B. Harris

Loyola College

4501 North Charles Street
Baltimore, MD 21210-2699
United States

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