With Control of Congress, Incoming Democrats Set to Elect Nancy Pelosi as 1st Female House

On Capitol Hill, Congress reconvenes today with Democrats in control of both chambers for the first time in 12 years. In the house, Democrats are set to officially elect Nancy Pelosi to be House Speaker. Pelosi is to become the first woman ever to run the House as well as the first Californian and first Italian-American to be Speaker. Pelosi has represented San Francisco since 1987. She comes from a family with deep ties to the Democratic Party both her father and brother served as the mayor of Baltimore. She is also one of the wealthiest members of the House.

Pelosi has already outlined an ambitious plan for the Democrats’ first 100 hours in power. She wants to increase the minimum wage, strengthen ethics rules, allow the federal government to negotiate prescription drug prices for Medicare recepients, increase federal support for stem cell research, ban gifts from lobbyists and to clamp down on travel funded by private interests.

In order to push this ambitious agenda, Pelosi has vowed to bypass House committees and move legislation directly to the floor in an effort to limit the ability of Republicans to make changes. In November, hours after the Democrats seized control of the House, Pelosi also vowed to challenge President Bush’s Iraq strategy.

* Nancy Pelosi, speaking on election night last November.

Marc Sandalow is the Washington bureau chief for the San Francisco Chronicle and has closely covered Nancy Pelosi’s political career for years. He joins us from Washington DC.

* Marc Sandalow. San Francisco Chronicle’s Washington bureau chief.

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