BOCA RATON, Fla. -- House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) thinks it wouldn't just be great for Democrats if Rep. Allen West (R-Fla.) lost his seat in November: It would be great for everybody.
"How sweet would it be for the country?" Pelosi said to laughs during a press event in Boca Raton, Fla., where she is stumping for House Democratic candidates.
Her comment came in response to a reporter asking how "sweet" it would be for Democrats if West were defeated in the upcoming elections. The Tea Party-backed congressman has become a lightning rod for controversy over his colorful comments, which include saying that as many as 81 House Democrats are members of the Communist Party, that people would be "on a suicide mission" if they questioned West's support for the House Republican budget and that Social Security is "a form of slavery." West has also compared being gay to picking an ice cream flavor.
Pelosi said she would leave it up to Patrick Murphy, West's Democratic challenger, to highlight why he is a better candidate for the district. Murphy is expected to seal the Democratic nomination in the Florida primary next Tuesday.
"He can speak to the contrast between [West] and comment," Pelosi said.
A West spokesman did not respond to a request for comment.
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