Rep. Bill Foster leading the charge against Nancy Pelosi becoming House Speaker

WASHINGTON – Taking his biggest political risk yet, Rep. Bill Foster, D-Ill., is among those leading the charge against Nancy Pelosi becoming the next Speaker of the House.

The three Democratic freshmen Illinois is sending to the House – Lauren Underwood, Sean Casten and Jesus “Chuy” Garcia – are not committing themselves to Pelosi so far and are not in a rush to make any promises.

Pelosi’s strongest advocates in the Illinois delegation are Democratic Reps. Jan Schakowsky and Mike Quigley. Schakowsky predicted Pelosi has the support to be the next Speaker when we talked.

Foster “is committed to voting for someone else on the floor,” Foster spokeswoman Mary Werden told the Sun-Times on Sunday.

He is among the nine Democrats who signed a letter on Thursday – two days after the Democrats won the House – asking for rules changes that would make it harder for Pelosi to win election as Speaker.

Foster “feels like the party needs new leadership … and a new generation,” said Werden.

The Pelosi critics who want to deny her the speakership have yet to find someone to run against her. The House Democrats vote on their new leaders Nov. 28. The entire House selects the Speaker on Jan. 3.

A basic political rule is in in play here: You can’t beat someone with no one.

Foster is boxed in for now, since his next move, if he has one, is not clear. He’s on a limb.

The three newcomers will be in Washington for freshman orientation this week.

Underwood was here Sunday to guest on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” more evidence of the national attention she is getting as an African American winning in a majority white suburban district that as of last Tuesday is no longer solid GOP turf.

Pelosi, from California and the two other top Democratic leaders, Reps. Steny Hoyer of Maryland and James Clyburn of South Carolina, are all in their 70s, giving rise to the call for younger leaders.

Underwood told me she will be meeting with Pelosi in the coming days.

“I’m only interested in supporting someone for speaker who’s aligned on an agenda that will help families across northern Illinois. And so I want to make sure that there is an opportunity to move legislation related to health care, to move infrastructure, move legislation to support public education.

“All of these issues that we’ve been talking about on the campaign need to make sure that there is an opportunity for these bills to come to a vote on the floor.”

Garcia, from a safe Democratic district is leaning toward Pelosi but wants some leverage in wrangling committee assignments.

Without a strong GOP challenger, Rep. Brad Schneider, D-Ill., was free to raise money for others, and he did, with vigor, a sign he wants to snag a plum committee assignment. He declined to back Pelosi yet when we talked. But he knows he needs Pelosi’s blessings to upgrade.

“In the effort to retake the House Majority, Schneider raised and contributed more than $1 million to the DCCC and $78,000 to 47 candidates and incumbents in competitive races,” Schneider’s Bridge the Gap PAC said in a statement.

Reps. Bobby Rush and Robin Kelly will support Pelosi, their spokesmen said. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi is on the fence. Rep. Cheri Bustos, running for Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee chair, is a Pelosi ally but has her own leadership race to run.

Rep. Dan Lipinski told me he was not ready to say yes to Pelosi, adding she would be an “effective leader” though “we need new leadership, new faces. He is leaning yes.

Lipinski owes Pelosi, who supports her incumbents. Pelosi backed Lipinski in the March Illinois primary when Marie Newman gave him the biggest challenge of his political career.