Pelosi likely to clarify future plans this week, sources say

WASHINGTON — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., is likely to make her future plans clear as soon this week, possibly even tomorrow, multiple sources familiar with the matter told NBC News.

As Democrats celebrate overperforming expectations in the midterm elections, a conversation between Pelosi and fellow members of the California delegation has fueled speculation on the question of will Pelosi stay or will she step down from her leadership role.

Members left the chat with the impression that the speaker’s decision will likely come before the Thanksgiving break after she told them it could come by the end of this week, the sources said, with some adding that patience within the party caucus is waning.

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“We know something’s coming,” one Democratic source said.

But she is, as ever, on her own timeline. A person close to Pelosi echoed a sentiment heard from many in Washington: predicting Pelosi is “a fool’s errand.”

Pelosi will deliver her weekly press conference Thursday, but some sources have speculated that her decision may come in a letter to colleagues — her preferred method of communication with the caucus. 

Pelosi said Sunday she wouldn’t engage with questions about her future until all races were called. NBC News projected Wednesday night that Republicans had won control of the House, but there are still a handful of races yet to be called, including multiple in California.

Meanwhile, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, chair of the House Democratic Caucus, is being urged to pursue the leadership role and has met with rank-and-file members. In the office of New Jersey Rep. Josh Gottheimer on Tuesday, he was urged not to miss his moment. 

Jeffries, 52, and Reps. Katherine Clark, 59, and Pete Aguilar, 43, have been widely seen to be part of a trio who could embody a new era of leadership.

Remember: we still don’t know what the current No. 2 and 3 — Steny Hoyer and Jim Clyburn — plan to do yet either. 

Punchbowl News was first to report the Pelosi call with the CA delegation.