Democratic opposition to House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) has been increasing both in public and behind the scenes in recent months, and now even some of the minority leader's supporters predict she will soon step aside.
Democratic Rep. Bill Pascrell (N.J.) told the Atlantic he expects Pelosi to step down from leadership next year, no matter who wins the House.
"She would love nothing more than to win, and then she’ll get out," Pascrell said.
A number of Democratic lawmakers and insiders spoke to the Atlantic both on and off the record about the desire among some Democrats for Pelosi to step aside, with some saying it should even happen before the 2018 midterms.
While some of the Democrats who are critical of Pelosi have been consistently against her leadership, Pascrell's prediction is notable because he has been both for and against the California congresswoman over the years. He also hails from a heavily Democratic district and therefore has no risk of blowback for supporting the unpopular leader.
Pelosi previously said she might have retired had Hillary Clinton won the presidency in 2016.