Democrat candidate for Congress distances herself from Pelosi

SALT LAKE CITY — Democratic candidate for Congress Karen Hyer announced Thursday that if she's elected to represent the 3rd District, she won't support another term as House speaker for Nancy Pelosi.

Hyer, who is attempting to unseat Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, said in a statement that Pelosi, a Democrat from California, is "an entrenched insider, and that's what Americans are tired of."

She said she would look instead for a House speaker "who is fiscally conservative, someone who shares Utah's values and, just as important, someone who is competent and has the best interests of our country at heart."

A longtime Republican recruited to run as a Democrat against Chaffetz, Hyer said she believed she would be joined by other conservative and moderate Democrats to find a leader willing to back a "truly bipartisan House of Representatives."

The Washington D.C.- based news source, The Hill, reported Thursday that a number of House Democrats are distancing themselves this election year from Pelosi, who is not popular with many voters according to polls. Only one, however, Alabama Rep. Bobby Bright, has announced he won't back Pelosi for speaker if Democrats retain their majority.

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