Rep. Elissa Slotkin Says Democrats Need ‘New Blood,’ Won’t Support Pelosi For Speaker

The Democratic Party needs “new blood,” Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-Michigan) said, pushing for a new generation of leaders but confirming she would support President Joe Biden if he runs for reelection in 2024.

“If he [Biden] decides to run again, I’m gonna support him,” Slotkin said on Meet the Press. “But I’ve been very vocal. We need a new generation. We need new blood, period. Across the Democratic Party, in the House, in the Senate in the White House. I think the country has been saying that.”

In September, Biden told Rev. Al Sharpton he intends to run for another term in the White House. The president, who turns 80 in November, was the oldest person to assume the presidency.

Other top Democrats have surpassed this mark and have been around for decades. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Maryland) are both octogenarians and have been serving their states since the 80s.

Slotkin noted she was “one of the handful of members” of Congress who hasn’t vote for Pelosi as speaker and has urged for new leadership. Pelosi was reelected in January, 2021 for the fourth time.

In a recent interview, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont), who is 81, argued that age should not be the main aspect to choose new leaders. The senator, who is an Independent who caucuses with Democrats, said people should consider what values each person stands for.

“We look too much at race, at gender, at age,” the senator said in September on CBS Morning. “What does somebody stand for? What are their views?”