What’s Next? Key Questions Ahead of Pelosi’s Announcement

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is set to make an announcement about her future plans on Thursday, just one day after Republicans clinched the House majority, guaranteeing GOP control of at least one chamber of Congress over the next two years.

Pelosi’s decision on whether she’ll launch another leadership bid or prepare to step down from politics altogether has been widely anticipated for months. Pelosi won her first election to Congress in 1987 and has served as the party’s House leader since 2002, quickly becoming the House’s most prolific fundraiser and a well-recognized face throughout the nation.

Replacing her would be no easy task, and Democrats have been quietly discussing for months who would be the best successor. Here are three key questions ahead of Pelosi’s announcement on Thursday.

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Will she stay or will she go? 

It’s not yet clear whether Pelosi plans to seek another term as the Democratic leader or if she’ll step aside to allow someone else to take the helm.

The details around Pelosi’s announcement have been scant, with the speaker’s spokesman merely stating on Tuesday that the California Democrat would “address her future plans tomorrow to her colleagues.” Further details on when and where that announcement would be made are not yet clear.

Her decision also comes just weeks after her husband, Paul Pelosi, was violently attacked in his California home by a man who was reportedly looking for the speaker herself.

Despite being a pivotal figure in Democratic politics, Pelosi has long faced calls from some of her colleagues to step aside and allow a younger generation to take her place — possibly setting the stage for who the party would pick as her successor.

Who will take over as the Democratic leader in the House? 

Should Pelosi step aside, it’s not clear which Democrats would jump at the chance to take over as the party’s House leader.

It has remained unclear whether House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-SC) or House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) would vie to replace the House speaker, as the two have also faced calls from younger colleagues to step aside to allow for fresh leadership. However, the race to succeed the House speaker may have already gotten underway earlier this summer.

Clyburn and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) reportedly met in the South Carolina Democrat’s office during the summer congressional recess to discuss such plans, according to Politico. Jeffries had reportedly called the meeting after overhearing Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) might be interested in taking over Pelosi’s position — the job Jeffries has been eyeing.

Clyburn has suggested he would step aside for Jeffries, paving the way for the New York Democrat to become the first black lawmaker to serve as a congressional leader. Clyburn’s support would all but ensure Jeffries’s path to succeeding Pelosi, setting the stage for a shake-up in Democratic House leadership.

Who will take over Pelosi’s California seat? 

Among the whispers about who would replace Pelosi as House speaker, other conversations remain about who would take her California House seat.

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Rumors have swirled that Pelosi’s daughter, Christine Pelosi, could launch a bid to take her mother’s House seat, which would make her the third generation of a Pelosi political dynasty as Nancy Pelosi’s father, Thomas D’Alesandro Jr., also served in Congress representing Maryland’s 3rd Congressional District from 1939 to 1947.

The deep-blue city has not had its congressional seat open since Pelosi won a special election in 1987. Before that, it was represented by Rep. Phillip Burton and then his wife Sala from 1975 until the speaker won the seat. The opening will be seen as a golden opportunity for a lifetime tenure for a liberal Democrat.