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Article snippet: One of the most unusual and important Speaker races in history will begin Wednesday, when Democrats decide behind closed doors whether Rep. MORE (Calif.) will be their next leader. The result of Wednesday’s vote is completely predictable: Pelosi is going to win. But the process surrounding the contest and the political machinations between Wednesday and a Jan. 3 public floor vote for the Speakership are filled with intrigue and uncertainty. “We won’t be surprised when she wins tomorrow,” a Democratic aide associated with Pelosi’s detractors said Tuesday. “But that doesn’t change the fact that there are still more people than she can afford to lose who are not going to vote for her on the floor.” Pelosi, after ushering Democrats to the majority for the first time in a decade, is facing the toughest threat to her 15-year reign atop the party. Her supporters and opponents know that in running unchallenged, she’ll win Wednesday’s majority vote for her party’s nomination for the Speaker’s gavel. Victories are also assured for her top lieutenants, Reps. MORE (D-Md.) and James Clyburn (D-S.C.), who are also running uncontested. Whether Pelosi can win the 218 votes necessary to be elected Speaker on Jan. 3, when the full House will vote, is another question entirely. Pelosi’s last challenge as party leader came in 2016, when Rep. MORE (D-Ohio) won 63 votes in his failed bid to topple her. Published reports have stated that Pelosi’s opponents were hoping to reach that fig... Link to the full article to read more