If not Pelosi, who? The question hovers over a simmering rebellion

Whatever the reason for the reluctance, the lack of a clear challenger has perplexed many Democrats, including some newly elected lawmakers who vowed during their campaigns not to support Ms. Pelosi, many of them from more moderate districts where she is unpopular.

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“That tells you something, doesn’t it? And that’s a problem,” said Representative-elect Abigail Spanberger of Virginia, who promised during her campaign not to back Ms. Pelosi and says she will keep her vow. “I want to vote for somebody who will be a new messenger for change, and who will work toward bipartisan policies.”

“There’s an effectiveness that comes with being a fresh voice that I think is important,” Ms. Spanberger said last week on her first full day in Washington since being elected.

Yet fresh voices have been hard to come by, even as a group of rebels led by Representative Tim Ryan of Ohio, who challenged Ms. Pelosi for minority leader in 2016, and Representative Seth Moulton of Massachusetts say one is sorely needed.

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