A handful of House Democrats - from Rep. Kathleen Rice (D-N.Y.) to Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio), who Pelosi beat for re-election to her leadership post late previous year - have raised fears that their party may not be able to win back the House with Pelosi leading the caucus.
She dismissed the members who have said it is time for a change as "blatantly self-serving" and "having fun on TV". "That would be very bad for the Republican Party". "People in OH don't grab me about Russian Federation at all when I'm home", Ryan said.
But some rank-and-file House Democrats scoffed at such explanations and raised questions about Pelosi's continued leadership.
"We need a winning strategy, and the first step to a winning strategy is a change in leadership", she said.
She also dismissed the notion that the Republicans' longtime tactic to hold her up as a partisan lightening rod drags down public opinion about fellow congressional Democrats and candidates.
Republican Ralph Norman defeated Archie Parnell in Tuesday's special election for South Carolina's 5th congressional district, and in Georgia, Republican Karen Handel defeated Democrat Jon Ossoff in the most expensive House race in history.
She said she feels "very confident" in the support she has from her caucus, but claimed ownership over the "timing" for her role as minority leader.
"Republicans took back the House and the Senate in 2010 more or less with no message, except for that they were against everything that Obama was for, and no policies", Mollineau told Business Insider. "Time to move forward and win again".
Rep. Tim Ryan: 'Toxic' Democratic Party Has No Clear Economic Message
They can't ignore how very unpopular their leadership is with many voters. 'I don't think it's fair, ' Ryan told Don Lemon. Democrats have also criticised Republicans for devising their plan behind closed doors and without congressional scrutiny.
A reporter asked how the minority leader would respond to President Trump's latest tweet attacking her, as well as "Republicans who believe that you are actually helpful to them in some of these races".
"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", the MA lawmaker said. She's the ultimate expression of "San Francisco values", and nobody's buying those anywhere but in San Francisco.
Meanwhile, Ryan said he does think it will be "very hard" for Democrats to win the House back under Pelosi. If elected, I will not vote for Nancy Pelosi for speaker.
'Do I think it's fair that the Republican playbook over the last four election cycles has been attacking Nancy Pelosi and demonizing her?' Rice began. "They keep winning and we keep losing". "I thrive on competition", she said, later adding: "I think I'm worth the trouble".
But it's also clear that many Democrats in the House, if not the large majority, don't see it that way.
Mrs Handel said at her victory rally that she knew it was going to "require all hands on deck" for Republicans to hold on to the district. "The good news for Republicans is that swarms of national media and images of Nancy Pelosi still motivate their base", Wasserman writes, while noting that Republicans can't count on that kind of super attention in every race.
Under the circumstances, that sounds feasible, and Democrats have been staging protest rallies in those seven districts, often packing "town halls" to denounce Obamacare repeal efforts.
"I stand before you, extraordinarily humbled and honoured at the tremendous privilege and responsibility you. have given me", she told a crowd that chanted Mr Trump's name. But Pelosi insisted she's already done that by bringing younger members into leadership.
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