Blue Dog survivor Heath Shuler may get his wish: a head-to-head showdown with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Pelosi announced Friday (on Twitter, no less) that she will seek the House minority leader’s post in the new Congress, surprising some observers who thought the San Francisco Democrat might retire after the “shellacking” her party took in the midterms.
Pelosi figured in race after race across the country, with Republicans trying to tie the unpopular House leader around their opponents’ necks and Democrats — especially moderates like Rep. Shuler — desperately scrambling to disassociate themselves.
Shuler has said he would consider running against Pelosi for the speaker’s post if the Democrats held on to the House. With the Republican sweep, the speakership is moot, but even supporting her for minority leader could prove politically untenable for Democrats like Shuler, given what happened Tuesday.
