Pelosi predicts ‘double digit’ gain of Democratic House seats in November election

Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) predicted on Thursday that the Democrats will see a “double digit” gain in the House in November. 

The House Speaker told former Obama adviser David Axelrod on his podcast, “The Axe Files,” that she is confident the Democratic Party will earn more seats in the lower legislature “if the election were today.”

When Axelrod asked Pelosi how many seats the Democrats would expect to gain if the election were held today, she answered “a lot.”

“Well I know the most pessimistic view, and it’s very good,” she said.

“What is the most pessimistic view today?” Axelrod asked. 

“Double digit,” she said. “I won’t go further than that.” 

“My responsibility is to protect the incumbents, to protect the majority that we have,” she said, adding, “We will have a Democratic majority.”

The Speaker noted that out of the 40 gained seats in the House in 2018, 31 of them were in districts that President Trump won in 2016. She acknowledged that with Trump being on the ballot this year, more of his supporters may turn out, adding “so I don’t assume anything.”

Pelosi’s comments come after Rep. Cheri Bustos (D-Ill.), the chairwoman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), told The Hill’s Big Questions series Thursday that she expects the party to add to its majority in the House. 

Bustos added the party was aiming to gain seats in Alaska, Indiana and Montana.

“My prediction as we sit here is we will not only hold on to this Democratic majority, we will grow it,” Bustos said. “We’ve got the right candidates and resources, and we are ready to mobilize even in the middle of a worldwide pandemic.”

The DCCC has committed $36 million for television markets for Republican-held seats and the 42 most vulnerable Democrats.