Colorado's Democratic U.S. House delegation is split on their support for Rep. Nancy Pelosi's bid to become the next Speaker of the House. Reps. Ed Perlmutter and Jason Crow have confirmed to 9NEWS they will not support Pelosi. Rep. Diana DeGette has said she will.
9NEWS has reached out to but has not heard back from Rep. Joseph Neguse on whether or not he'll support the longtime California congresswoman as speaker.
A congressperson needs 218 votes to become speaker. According to the Washington Post, Pelosi, a 78, said she believes she has the votes to become the next Speaker of the House, taking over for Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wisconsin) after Democrats regained control of the house in the 2018 midterms.
The earliest a vote on speaker can happen in the House is Nov. 28.
In a statement, a spokesperson for Perlmutter told 9NEWS he would not vote "yes" for Pelosi, nor would he vote "present," which would lower the threshold of votes she'd need to become speaker. Crow's office confirmed he will also not vote "present" for Pelosi. This means both men will have to vote for someone else - since a congressperson can't vote "no."
At this time, neither has indicated who they will support instead.
Several other Democratic representatives have come forward saying they wouldn't vote for Pelosi, led by Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Massachusetts). Moulton is looking to 66-year-old Ohio Congresswoman Marcia Fudge to become speaker, the Post reports. Fudge told the Post "probably closer to 30" Democrats indicated to her they would oppose Pelosi.
Perlmutter, 65, released a statement concerning his worry over electing Pelosi to the senior leadership position, citing the many other qualified members.
"We have a lot of great, diverse candidates from all across the caucus who would be fantastic as our next speaker," he said. "I am grateful for Nancy Pelosi's leadership and many contributions to our caucus but I have advocated for a change in leadership since 2016 because I think it's time for a new perspective and someone who represents the change Americans just voted for across the country."
Perlmutter has been a member of the U.S. House of Representatives since 2007, representing Colorado's 7th District, which covers the northern and western suburbs of the metro area.
Crow, 39, took over Colorado's 6th District from longtime Congressman Mike Coffman. The 6th District comprises the northwest metro area and Aurora. He has not released a public statement.
DeGette has been a member of Congress for over 20 years and currently serves as a member of the Democratic caucus' leadership team as Chief Deputy Whip.
Pelosi has been a member of Congress for the last 30 years, serving as the Speaker of the House from 2007 to 2011. She also served as Minority Leader from 2003 to 2007 and again from 2011 to 2018.
9NEWS has reached out to Colorado's other freshman Rep. Joseph Neguse. We will update this story when we hear back.