Pundits and political watchers seem confident that Democrats will retain control of the House of Representatives. Polls give Democrats a slight edge over the GOP in the contest for the control of Congress headed into November.
However, what might happen if Democrats do not retain control? What could happen if President Donald Trump is reelected to a second term?
During an interview with Mobile, AL radio FM Talk 106.5, Rep. Mike Rogers (R-AL), the ranking Republican on the House Homeland Security Committee, speculated that either scenario could mean the end of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-CA) run as a member of the Democratic Party leadership in the House of Representatives.
“I think it depends on how the election turns out,” Rogers explained. “You know, she made a deal with the devil in the last cycle that if they let her be speaker for two more terms, she would retire. She’s 80 years old right now. She’ll be 82 in one more term, assuming they keep the majority. But, you know, these folks are very unreasonable. They’re very unhappy. And we had the same dilemma when we were in the majority with the Freedom Caucus. They could not be completely satisfied, and they were the reason we couldn’t pass legislation.”
“It was never good enough for them,” he continued. “But it’s the same problem Democrats are having with its left wing, which is far more liberal than Nancy Pelosi if you can believe that. That’s hard to imagine to me, but it’s true. The fact is, when the election is over, assuming Donald Trump is reelected, which I think he will be, she’s going to struggle to get them to honor the second half of that commitment to let her stay speaker. If we take the House back, she’s gone,” he continued. “I think she’ll go ahead and announce her retirement.”
Rogers went on to add if the Democrats lost control of the House, it might also mean the end for House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) and House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-SC) in leadership roles in addition to the conclusion of Pelosi’s tenure.
However, he said what might come in the place of those three could be “scary” to most Americans.
“If that happens, you’ll see a complete sea change,” he said. “I think Pelosi, Hoyer and Clyburn will all go ahead and announce their retirements because they’ll be overthrown and the new emerging leaders of that conference will be scary to most Americans, who are in the middle of the political spectrum.”
Follow Jeff Poor on Twitter @jeff_poor
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