Karen Bass: I Will Vote for Nancy Pelosi for Speaker

TAPPER: So one other thing that Democrats have been forced to answer questions about has to do whether or not Nancy Pelosi should continue be the Democratic leader, whether a speaker or not.

Take a listen to some of the — just a few of the 60 House Democratic candidates who have said that they will not necessarily support Pelosi.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LIZ WATSON, DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE: I won’t vote for Nancy Pelosi because we need new leadership in Washington.

KATHLEEN WILLIAMS, DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE: That’s why I won’t be voting for Nancy Pelosi for leader.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Will you vote for Nancy Pelosi?

RASHIDA TLAIB, DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE: Probably not.

(END VIDEO CLIP) BASS: Well, let me just tell you. I think that —

TAPPER: Will you vote Nancy Pelosi?

BASS: I will vote Nancy Pelosi.

Let me just tell you that with all of the races that are going on Leader Pelosi is the first one to say the most important thing you need to do is win. People are working their districts.

When we take over and I’m very optimistic that that’s going to happen I am certainly hoping that it is going to be a very large number. She has postponed the elections until December but to have —

TAPPER: The leadership elections.

BASS: The leadership elections. But to have a massive change, people are going to be trying to figure out how they go about becoming a new Congress person, all of that.

There have been lots of discussions about, you know, whether or not there’s going to be leadership change. I’m in my eighth year and I will tell you that those discussions have happened every single time we’re in this cycle.

SANTORUM: Yes. Nancy Pelosi is going to be the next leader of the Democratic Party. But here’s the interesting thing, look at Conor Lamb.

You know, Conor Lamb ran and won in my old congressional district saying he wasn’t going to vote for Nancy Pelosi. Now he says I’ll vote for whoever the Democrats (INAUDIBLE).

BASS (ph): Right.

SANTORUM: So, they can run all these ads saying what they’re going to do, they come to Washington, the whip gets cracked, people get in line and —

(CROSSTALK)

TAPPER: Twenty seconds.

GRANHOLM: I am a Nancy Pelosi fan. I feel like she’s a strong woman, she’s been the best — the best speaker since I’ve been president — since I’ve been president —

(CROSSTALK)

GRANHOLM: But let me just — I know I can’t run for president. But let me just —

TAPPER: She’s —

(CROSSTALK)

TAPPER: Yes.

GRANHOLM: if it’s not Nancy Pelosi then the Republicans will put up another boogeyman to be able to say oh, if it’s not Nancy Pelosi it’s going to be this person. So, come on.

TAPPER: Thanks one and all for being here. We appreciate it. Especially you President Granholm.