WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. House of Representatives Democrats voted on Wednesday to nominate Nancy Pelosi to be the next speaker of the chamber.

Pelosi, 78, who held the speakership from January 2007 to January 2011 and currently is House Democratic leader, still must be formally elected in early January in a vote by the entire House. A small group of Democrats have been maneuvering to deny her a victory in that vote.

Democrats’ wins in this month’s congressional elections gave them a majority in the House over Republicans, who maintained their majority in the Senate.