Democrats went into Tuesday night thinking they're about to pad their majority in the House by moving deeper into President Trump's 2016 win territory, but instead, Republicans made gains.
Already, two centrist Democrats in the House say they are reaching colleagues to round up assistance for House Democratic Caucus Chairman Hakeem Jeffries, a top Pelosi lieutenant, for Speaker in the next Congress.
Several moderate House Dems only won tough re-elections after pledging not to back Pelosi for an extra term as Speaker - and they view Jeffries as a possible establishment leader who could earn support from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's powerful 'squad' of progressives.
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'He bridges moderates and progressives better than anyone. And most importantly, he's not Nancy Pelosi,' one Democratic lawmaker said of Jeffries. 'He's the only one prepared and positioned' to be Speaker.
Publicly, Jeffries has shot down any thought of seeking the top leadership role, staying loyal to Pelosi, and saying he is focused on maintaining his current job.
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The Speaker is chosen by a majority vote of the entire House, suggesting that in theory, a handful of centrist Democrats could force the party's hand in the case of a narrow majority by threatening to side with Republicans.
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However, it's unclear whether Ocasio-Cortez's powerful team would back Jeffries for Speaker after she previously threatened to support a primary challenger against the fellow New York Democrat in the 2020 election.
All four members of Ocasio-Cortez's squad got re-election on Tuesday, and the faction added three new progressive allies in districts in Missouri and New York.
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Pelosi was very quiet on Wednesday about her party's narrowing margin in the House.
She didn't directly address her failures in a letter to her Democratic colleagues, aside from naming the election 'challenging.'
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, a California Republican, said the erosion of the Democratic majority could hurt Pelosi's hold on the Speaker's chair.
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'I know the vote on the floor is difficult for the Speaker. I know there were a number of people who did not vote for her last time,' McCarthy said at a press conference Wednesday, alluding to Democratic defectors two years ago.
'And as our numbers continue to grow, I think at the end of the day, no matter where we end up, we'll be able to have a very big say, or even run the floor when it comes to policy,' McCarthy said.
After the 2018 election, Pelosi endured a challenge to her leadership of the caucus - but was on a more solid foundation with her party's control of the House than she will be in this cycle.
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