leadership of the Democratic House caucus. If, as expected, Democrats lose seats in the election, this will be the third election as the leader where the party lost seats.
In fact, the party today has less seats than when she led as Minority Leader prior to the victory in the 2006 election that made her speaker. Before the 2006 election there were 202 House Democrats and today there are only 201. They are expected to lose 10 or more on November 4.
There is a debate among friends and adversaries as to her future. People close to her say she likes serving, is still a great fundraiser and now wants to help Hillary Clinton become president. But, her election track record is poor and she has become a useful target for Republican congressional candidates. Republican Mike Coffman has used her in his campaign. In general, she is a liability for candidates in close races.
At 74 years old, most of her partners, especially from California, have retired. Steny Hoyer, the Democratic House Whip, is now 75. As the heir apparent, he’s beginning to look like Prince Charles (65) – forever in waiting.
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