Pelosi dodges questions about future as Speaker if Dems lose House

The House’s top Democrat avoided questions about her future in leadership if the midterms usher in a “red wave,” as polls predict.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was asked during a Sunday appearance on CBS if she intends to remain in her party’s leadership in the next Congress if Democrats lose their majority.

"I'm not talking about that," Pelosi told “Face the Nation” host Margaret Brennan. "I'm here to talk about how we win the election."

In 2018, Pelosi cut a deal with seven House Democrats who threatened to voter against her speakership by agreeing to back term limits for the top three Democratic leadership positions – Speaker, House Majority Leader, and Majority Whip.

The California Democrat also pledged to honor the proposal herself whether or not it was adopted. If she stands by her promise, she was set to step down at the end of 2022.

When pressed by Brennan, Pelosi would not confirm or deny her future in Democratic leadership.

"I’m not here to talk about me, I’m here to talk about the future, America’s working families, for the children. It's always about the children," Pelosi said, pivoting to another subject.

Congressional Democrats have been jockeying for Pelosi’s position since her 2020 reelection after larger-than-expected losses in that year’s elections.

Earlier this month, Vanity Fair reported that the lower-chamber’s liberals were aiming for a shake-up of entire house leadership, all of whom are in their 80s.

“The drama isn’t only around Pelosi’s next steps, however. Between the 82-year-old Speaker, House majority leader Steny Hoyer, 83, and House majority whip Jim Clyburn, 82—Pelosi’s number two and three—Democrats’ top leadership team combined has more than a century of experience in the House,” wrote Vanity Fair reporter Abigail Tracy.

Leading candidates in the “shadow contest” for Speaker include Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., who is terming out of his position as House Democratic Caucus chair, and California Rep. Adam Schiff, a prolific Democratic fundraiser.