(RightWing.org) – House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has been a Washington fixture for more than three decades. However, with her 82nd birthday rapidly approaching, Pelosi’s time in politics is quickly drawing to a close, forcing Democrats to consider how to fill the resulting vacuum within the party when she retires.
Whether Pelosi retires or not remains uncertain, but her eligibility to serve as House Speaker runs out at the end of 2022 as per a 2018 agreement with other House Democrats.
According to party insiders, three possible contenders stand out from the list of Democrats vying for her job in 2023, be it as House Speaker or Minority Speaker.
Pelosi out?? Dems may already have her replacementhttps://t.co/LTA6N6G8rY
— George Papadopoulos (@GeorgePapa19) November 4, 2021
All three prospects hold positions directly below the Democrat’s number two in the House, Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-SC). They include Assistant Speaker Katherine Marlea Clark (D-MA), Democratic Congressional Caucus (DCC) chair Hakeem Sekou Jeffries (D-NY), and DCC vice-chair Peter Ray Aguilar (D-CA).
Conventional wisdom points to Jeffries as Pelosi’s eventual replacement. Perhaps motivated by a desire to remain out of the spotlight, Jeffries has managed to avoid speaking out about any of the Democratic Party’s defining battles since Joe Biden’s inauguration. Politicos expect him to toe the current party line and not create too many waves with the party’s radical fringe.
If Democrats manage to somehow retain control of the House after the 2022 midterm elections, Jeffries could end up the chamber’s first black speaker. Time will tell.
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