Kara Eastman, the progressive Democratic candidate in Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District, called for new leadership in the Democratic caucus one day after a report revealed she received thousands of dollars from House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) and her political action committee.
Eastman was asked during Tuesday night's debate whether she was going to vote for Pelosi as House speaker if Democrats regain control of the House or seek new leadership.
"Look, I'm running for Congress because I think we need new leadership all around. We need people who are running because they fundamentally want to change the system, because if we look at Congress' approval rating, it is so low," Eastman said. "I would support new leadership in Congress because I think that we need leaders, and I am looking forward to having a leader who supports me so that I can do the most for my district."
Eastman's debate response came one day after the third quarter Federal Election Commission (FEC) report was published, revealing Pelosi's leadership PAC, PAC to the Future, donated $5,000 to Eastman's campaign on Sept. 19. Pelosi's campaign committee also made a $2,000 donation to Eastman on the same day as the leadership PAC.
Eastman, who is challenging first-term Republican Rep. Don Bacon, also said back in March that she would "support a new House leader in 2019."
While Eastman continues to be optimistic and says she is happy to share her vision for Nebraska, the House Majority PAC, which is tied to House Democratic leadership, has pulled its television advertising funding for the district. A New York Times/Sienna College poll from late September showed Bacon with a 9 point advantage in the race. The PAC's funding will now support Cindy Axne in Iowa’s 3rd Congressional District. Eastman is one of the "top-tier candidates" candidates the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee selected for its "Red to Blue" program.