Georgia’s newest Democrat backs Nancy Pelosi for speaker

All five of Georgia’s House Democrats, including the state’s newest lawmaker, indicated they supported Nancy Pelosi’s bid for the speakership during Wednesday’s closed-door party vote.

Marietta Democrat Lucy McBath, who unseated incumbent Republican Karen Handel earlier this month in the 6th Congressional District, tweeted her support for the party's leadership team Wednesday evening. She was the only Democrat who had not publicly announced her support for Pelosi ahead of time.

“Our House Democratic Leadership is going to fight for issues that impact all of us. From gun violence, to healthcare, to immigration - they will navigate the most pressing issues, and I am ready to get the work done,” the gun control advocate tweeted.

McBath had been noncommittal about Pelosi throughout her campaign, but that didn't stop Handel from linking the first-time candidate to the polarizing Californian.

Ahead of Wednesday's vote, Republicans made clear they plan to make McBath answer for her support of Pelosi in 2020.

Pelosi inched one step closer to her old job on Wednesday after House Democrats voted 203-32 by secret ballot to advance her bid for the speakership. The Californian is still more than a dozen votes shy of the 218 she’ll need to win the gavel in the Jan. 3 floor vote.

Ahead of the closed-door vote, eight lawmakers offered speeches praising the Californian. The closing address came from Atlanta Democrat John Lewis, who stood next to Pelosi as she took her victory lap in front of reporters.

“He wrapped it all up in such a beautiful way, not about me but about our challenges and about our need to be unified for the future,” Pelosi said of the civil rights hero. “So I'm very, very just so inspired by it all and so grateful to my colleagues for what they have done to place my name in nomination.”