House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, at College of Mount Saint Vincent Town Hall with Rep. Bowman, below
Yes its a big deal when the Speaker of the U.S. House of Represenatives, the third most powerful position in the United States, comes to your district for an event in an election year. That is what happened on March 14, when Speaker Nancy Pelosi came to the College of Mount Saint Vincent in Riverdale, on the border with Yonkers, to hold a town hall with Congressman Jamaal Bowman.
The event was held to highlight the one year anniversary of the American Rescue Plan-COVID relief package that Congress passed last year as Americans continued to fight through the pandemic. But for both Pelosi and Bowman, the town hall had a more political meaning.
For Rep. Bowman, who is completing his first term and running for re-election in a district that includes more suburban democrats in northern Westchester, it was a feather in his cap to have Speaker Pelosi sit next to him on stage and discuss the importance of keeping democrats, and what they have done over the past two years.
Speaker Pelosi “has always empowered me and allowed me to represent my district in the best way that I know how. Despite the rhetoric and the framing of a party at odds with itself, that is not true at all. It’s a space where the diversity of people and ideas are welcome. So there’s going to be some disagreement. That’s how a democracy works,” said Bowman, who also explained his no vote for the $1.4 Trillion infrastructure bill. Rep. Bowman was one of only a handful of house democrats to vote no; the bill narrowly passed without his support, and Bowman’s opponents have highlighted that vote against him.
“I was happy that the bill passed. It was strategic play, hoping to push for my colleagues in both the House and the Senate to get Build Back Better over the hump. We’re still fighting to get Build Back Better over the hump,” said Bowman.
When asked directly about Bowman’s no vote, Speaker Pelosi, said, “I don’t think he would have let the bill go down, but I’m not speaking for him.
Pelosi, who for decades has been known as one of the Democratic Party’s best campaigners, began the effort to maintain her narrow 11 seat majority, by standing with Congressman Bowman. Although an endorsement was not made, or discussed, the message was clear. The Speaker of the House can work with Rep. Bowman, and the progressive wing of the party.
“Democrats care about people. Our mission is to help people get into the middle class. That is the backbone of our democracy,” said Pelosi, who at 81 still has the fire in her belly to elect democrats this November across the country.
Bowman tweeted after the event, “Today @SpeakerPelosi and I held a town hall at the College of Mount Saint Vincent to speak to members of our community about the American Rescue Plan, Ukraine, and more. It’s an honor to serve our community and continue delivering for you.”
