WASHINGTON -- The battle for the identity of the Democratic Party began in earnest Thursday, as Rep. Nancy Pelosi of San Francisco and Rep. Martin Frost of Texas presented themselves as new faces on the national political scene in a contest to succeed Dick Gephardt as House minority leader.
Gephardt, the minority leader since 1994, announced Thursday that he would step down on the heels of Tuesday's shocking defeat for Democrats in the House and Senate elections.
"These are new times and they call for new ideas and bold action," he said.
Frost, who as party caucus chairman is the third-ranked Democrat in the House, made clear that he thinks Pelosi, party whip and No. 2 in the hierarchy, is too liberal to speak for national Democrats and lead them to recapture control of the House.
"Her policies are to the left, and I think that the party, to be successful, must speak to the broad center of the country," said Frost, a native of Glendale who lives in Dallas.
Pelosi sought to downplay the ideological choice that House Democrats face.
"We must draw clear distinctions between our vision of the future and the extreme policies put forward by the Republicans," Pelosi said from San Francisco. "We cannot allow Republicans to pretend they share our values and then legislate against those values without consequence."
She said Democrats must show the nation "the proof of our commitment, particularly with regard to revitalizing our economy."
Aides to Pelosi, who was born in Baltimore to a political family, pictured her as a pragmatic liberal who can blend moderate, conservative and liberal factions to establish a centrist position distinct from House Republican policies.
The Pelosi camp said it has more than the 110 votes needed to secure her election as leader. But Frost expressed doubt that Pelosi had the election locked up.
Pelosi, as minority whip, is the highest-ranking woman ever in the House of Representatives.
The leader has a pivotal role in the shaping of party policy and strategy, and usually makes the final speech for Democrats in important debates.
The leader also is called upon to advocate party policy through the news media and to travel extensively as chief spokesperson and principal campaigner for Democratic House candidates.
Moving aggressively to succeed Gephardt, Frost and Pelosi telephoned House Democrats to ask for support when the party holds its organizational meeting for the next Congress on Thursday.
Gephardt, for his part, said he would continue to serve in the House for now. His statement left open the possibility he may seek the Democratic presidential nomination in 2004.
Facing criticism from some Democratic House members for the party's poor showing, Gephardt said it was "time for me personally to take a different direction, look at the country's challenge from a different perspective and take on the president and the Republican Party from a different vantage point."
In hastily putting together campaigns to succeed him, Pelosi and Frost concentrated on securing commitments from a handful of members regarded as potential supporters, but undecided.
One in that category, California Rep. Cal Dooley of Hanford, said he was "inclined to support" Pelosi even though he did not vote for her in October 2001, when she ran for whip against Rep. Steny Hoyer of Maryland. Pelosi won that contest 118-95 in a secret ballot.
Hoyer is now running to succeed Pelosi as whip and has not yet encountered any competition.
Dooley said that before finally deciding between Pelosi and Frost, he wanted them to "articulate a vision of how they're going to provide the leadership to win back the majority and advance policies to expand our economy and enhance productivity."
The Pelosi camp stressed economic arguments to promote her candidacy.
"Nancy Pelosi will be a powerful voice to revitalize our economy," said Rep. Janice Schakowsky, a Chicago Democrat and Pelosi supporter.
"Nancy has proven herself able to form coalitions in Congress and deliver our message to people in all parts of the country," Schakowsky said.
In a campaign that both camps said would be highly personal and mostly behind the scenes, the Pelosi camp set out to counter statements from Frost supporters that she was too far left for a party that needs to occupy more of the political center if it is to win back the majority.
Making that point, Frost pointed out that he has championed large growth in military spending while Pelosi has worked to cut back the Pentagon budget. He said he supported the resolution authorizing President Bush to use force against Iraq, but Pelosi opposed it.
"There are an awful lot of Democrats who are very uneasy about the party moving sharply to the left, and who want a party that's in the middle," Frost said.
He said he could speak to the country's "broad center" while Pelosi's appeal was to a "narrow spectrum."
Pelosi argued that "we need a unified party that will draw clear distinctions between our vision of the future and that espoused by the Republicans."
When the Democrats who will serve in the next House meet behind closed doors Thursday on Capitol Hill, they will be asked to pick between two images for the party that could influence voters in future elections.
In his meeting with reporters, Frost depicted himself as a Democrat who would fight for Social Security and a prescription drug plan, but also would be open to dealing with Republicans on tax cuts, restraints on spending and a strong military.
He said congressional Democrats need to pay more attention to "conservative Democrats who feel very strongly about deficit spending and trying to balance the budget."
One of the House's leading liberals, Rep. David Obey, D-Wis., noted the division within House Democratic ranks in a tribute to Gephardt.
"No one, absolutely no one, could have held our caucus together as well as he has since the '94 election," Obey said.