More than 10 months after the 2016 election, California Democratic Rep. Jackie Speier still has no answer for who the leader of the Democratic Party is.
When asked who her party’s leader is an interview Wednesday afternoon, Speier dodged the question and declined to name a single Democratic leader.
“Who’s the leader of the Democratic Party right now in this country?” asked MSNBC host Craig Melvin.
“Well, good question. I think there are a lot of leaders. What we need to determine over the next, I’d say, six to eight months is who really rises to the top. But there’s a great bench of Democrats who are looking at running for president and we’ll see how many of them get traction,” Speier said.
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Speier’s struggle to name her party’s leader is emblematic of the larger divide between the Democratic establishment and its grassroots base that is moving further and further to the left.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi has struggled to command the support of her caucus and has faced calls from within her own party to step down from her leadership position. (RELATED: Democrats’ 2018 Candidates Are Sprinting Away From Nancy Pelosi)
Pelosi similarly struggled when asked in March to name the leader of the Democratic Party.
“Well, President Obama was the president of the United States until just a matter of weeks ago. I don’t think that he can be dismissed as the leader of the Democratic Party,” Pelosi said. “Hillary Clinton did not win the election, but a respected leader.” (RELATED: Nancy Pelosi Blanks When Asked ‘Who Is The Leader Of The Democratic Party?’ [VIDEO])
Ohio Democratic Rep. Tim Ryan was more straightforward when asked the same question in July, answering that the party has no real leader.