Georgia Special Election Ends in Disappointment for Democrats

The response from some: It better be.

Some Democrats have blamed Pelosi for the party's loss in the Georgia special election on Tuesday.

The apparent effectiveness of that messaging suggested to some that the 77-year-old Californian could be a liability for Democrats as they aim to regain their majority. Ryan called Pelosi and the Democratic brand "toxic". While the Georgia race was a tempting target after Trump turned in a relatively weak showing there in 2016, it still leaned Republican and Romney had won the district by a whopping 24 percentage points in 2012.

"This is certainly something that we have to discuss because it's clear that, I think, across the board in the Democratic Party we need new leadership".

"A lot of Democrats are exhausted of her and exhausted of defending her", said political analyst Larry Sabato.

How the party and its candidates should proceed from here sure sounds like the existential conversation Republicans were having with themselves in the age of Obama.

Here's a huge reason Nancy Pelosi maintains her iron grip on House Democrats, even after another bruising - and in many party circles embarrassing - election loss: Her ability to raise lots and lots of money.

In recent weeks, we've seen that Dems are utterly incapable of introspection and they're running out of Republicans to blame.

The challenge of Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Ohio, 43, for the leadership post after the election fell far short. Focusing specifically on immigration, he demonstrated how Democrats lost touch with the country on the issue, began to resent the pressures on immigrants to assimilate as a form of chauvinism, and lost touch with the American public. "It's time for some change. It's time for a new generation of leadership in the party", he said.

Winning the sixth congressional district was always going to be an uphill climb for Democrats because of the district's strong GOP tilt. "It is possible that he could actually get re-elected if Democrats aren't careful".

The result in Georgia was not wholly unexpected, as the congressional seat has belonged to the Republicans for more than 40 years. And she remains the party's most prodigious fundraiser, bringing in $567.9 million for the party since she joined leadership in 2002. The University of Virginia's Center for Politics chief Larry Sabato told the Post he had heard from at least two "senior Democrats" telling him they want Pelosi out. Even in the minority, the votes she commands are often needed to pass spending bills or other must-pass legislation that House conservatives disdain, and GOP speakers have had to come to her repeatedly hat in hand. That means, notwithstanding his sub-40 percent approval rating, Trump has a slightly better chance of persuading Republican lawmakers to swallow their reservations and embrace his legislative priorities on health care, tax reform and infrastructure.

Hoyer said about the 2018 midterms, "I think we can win back the House, I really believe that". She didn't call for Pelosi's immediate ouster, but said that she hopes Pelosi will ultimately decide not to run for another term as the top Democratic leader in the next Congress and several others emerge as alternatives to lead the caucus. The 4-point win in the most expensive congressional race in history was a blow to Democrats, who tried to wrest control of a suburban Atlanta district that Republicans have held since the 1970s.

"Look, they demonized Nancy in 2010, they demonized her in 2006. She has been a great leader, but like every leader, time immemorial, it's time for people to know when to go", Rice said.

"The Democrats have to be hyper-focused on an economic message that tells people that the Republican Party is all about economic growth for millionaires and billionaires, and the Democratic Party is about economic growth for everybody", Democratic Senator Chris Murphy of CT told MSNBC.