Editing Nancy Pelosi (section)

==First tenure as minority leader (2003–2007)==
In November 2002, after Gephardt resigned as House minority leader to seek the Democratic nomination in the [[2004 United States presidential election|2004 presidential election]], Pelosi was elected to replace him, becoming the first woman to lead a major party in either chamber of Congress.<ref>{{cite news |last=Hulse |first=Carl |date=November 15, 2002 |title=Pelosi Easily Wins Election for House Democratic Leader |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/11/15/us/pelosi-easily-wins-election-for-house-democratic-leader.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230308071436/https://www.nytimes.com/2002/11/15/us/pelosi-easily-wins-election-for-house-democratic-leader.html |archive-date=March 8, 2023 |work=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=August 31, 2022}}</ref> In the campaign to succeed Gephardt as the [[House Democratic Caucus]]'s leader, Pelosi was challenged by [[Harold Ford Jr.]] and [[Marcy Kaptur]]. Kaptur withdrew her candidacy for the position before the November 15, 2002, caucus vote, and Pelosi defeated Ford 117–29 in the closed-door vote of caucus members.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Loughlin |first1=Seth |title=Democrats pick Pelosi as House leader |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2002/ALLPOLITICS/11/14/democrats.leadership/ |website=CNN |date=November 15, 2002 |access-date=June 19, 2023 |archive-date=August 10, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240810020611/http://edition.cnn.com/2002/ALLPOLITICS/11/14/democrats.leadership/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> Critics of Pelosi characterized her as too liberal to be a successful House leader.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Romano |first1=Lois |title=The woman who would be speaker |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna15355131 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231028074417/https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna15355131 |url-status=dead |archive-date=October 28, 2023 |website=NBC News |access-date=October 28, 2023|date=October 21, 2006}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Yglesias |first1=Matthew |title=The Underappreciated Pelosi |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2007/08/the-underappreciated-pelosi/45439/ |website=The Atlantic |access-date=October 28, 2023|date=August 1, 2007}}</ref>

As minority leader, Pelosi sharply criticized the handling of the Iraq War by President Bush and his administration, in 2004 saying Bush had demonstrated areas of "incompetence".<ref>{{cite web |title=Pelosi questions Bush's competence |url=https://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/05/20/pelosi.bush/ |website=CNN |access-date=October 28, 2023 |date=May 31, 2004}}</ref>

In a relative surprise, the Democratic Party lost three seats in the [[2004 United States House of Representatives elections|2004 House elections]], which coincided with [[2004 United States presidential election|Bush's reelection as president]].<ref name="Billings2005a">{{cite web |last1=Billings |first1=Erin P. |title=Pelosi Sees '06 House Gains |url=https://rollcall.com/2005/06/24/pelosi-sees-06-house-gains/ |website=Roll Call |access-date=October 28, 2023 |date=June 24, 2005}}</ref> Focused on retaking the House majority in 2006, in her second term as minority leader Pelosi worked to criticize the Bush administration more effectively and to contrast the Democratic Party with it.<ref name="Billings2005a"/><ref name="SandalowDetermination"/> As part of this, Pelosi voiced even harsher criticism of Bush's handling of the Iraq War.<ref name="SandalowDetermination">{{cite web |last1=Sandalow |first1=Marc |title=Pelosi's determination makes her Democratic hero of '06 |url=https://www.southcoasttoday.com/story/news/nation-world/2006/11/11/pelosi-s-determination-makes-her/50287893007/ |newspaper=New Bedford Standard-Times |agency=The San Francisco Chronicle |access-date=October 28, 2023 |date=November 10, 2006}}</ref> In November 2005, prominent congressional Democrat [[John Murtha]] proposed that the U.S. begin a withdrawal of troops from Iraq at the "earliest predictable date". Pelosi initially declined to commit to supporting Murtha's proposal.<ref>{{cite web |title=Heated House Rejects GOP Iraq Plan – CBS News |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/heated-house-rejects-gop-iraq-plan/ |website=CBS News |access-date=October 28, 2023 |date=November 19, 2005}}</ref> Speaker [[Dennis Hastert]] soon brought to the floor a vote on a non-binding resolution calling for an immediate withdrawal of troops, seeking to trap Democrats into taking a more radical stance. Pelosi led Democrats in voting against the resolution, which failed in a 403–3 floor vote.<ref>{{cite web |title=Heated House Rejects GOP Iraq Plan – CBS News |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/heated-house-rejects-gop-iraq-plan/ |website=CBS News |publisher=The Associated Press |access-date=October 28, 2023 |date=November 19, 2005}}</ref> Roughly two weeks later, Pelosi held a press conference in which she endorsed Murtha's proposal.<ref>{{cite web |title=Pelosi joins troop withdrawal movement |url=https://www.telegram.com/story/news/state/2005/12/01/pelosi-joins-troop-withdrawal-movement/53154789007/ |website=The Worcester Telegram & Gazette |agency=The Associated Press |date=December 1, 2005}}</ref> Some critics believed that Pelosi's support for a troop withdrawal would prevent the Democrats from winning a House majority in the [[2006 United States House of Representatives elections|2006 elections]].<ref name="SandalowDetermination"/>

During her time as minority leader, Pelosi was not well known to much of the American public. Before the 2006 elections, Republicans made a concerted effort to taint public perception of her, running advertisements assailing her.<ref name="ABCNov82006"/> Advertisements demonizing Pelosi became a routine part of Republican advertising in subsequent elections.<ref name="Nolan1">{{cite web |last1=McCaskill |first1=Nolan |title=Leading up to attack, GOP and its allies spent $50 million on anti-Pelosi ads |url=https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2022-11-02/gop-campaign-ads-have-demonized-pelosi-for-years |website=Los Angeles Times |access-date=October 29, 2023 |date=November 2, 2022}}</ref> For instance, during the 2022 election cycle, Republicans ran more than $50 million in ads that negatively characterized or invoked Pelosi, and in the 2010 cycle, they spent more than $65 million on such ads.<ref name="Nolan1"/><ref name="Polman1">{{cite web |last1=Polman |first1=Dick |title=Can the GOP Demonize Pelosi One More Time? |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2018/07/can-the-gop-demonize-pelosi-one-more-time/565466/ |website=The Atlantic |access-date=October 30, 2023|date=July 18, 2018}}</ref>