Return of Pelosi Day 1

(The Hill) Rep. Nancy Pelosi is about to make history. Again. The California Democrat broke new ground in 2007 when she became the first woman ever to ascend to the House Speakership. On Thursday twelve years later shes poised to take the gavel once more following a midterm wave that will give Democrats control of the lower chamber for the first time in nearly a decade. The power shift at once distinguishes Pelosi as the most potent Democrat in the country; puts her in the drivers seat of the Democrats delicate effort to be a check on President Trump and his administration; and makes her the face of the party heading into the crucial 2020 election cycle at least until a Democratic presidential nominee emerges. The feat of taking the gavel in nonconsecutive Congresses also secures Pelosi a place in the record books alongside such historic figures as Reps. Henry Clay and Sam Rayburn (D-Texas) who was the last to do so more than 60 years ago.