House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said late Tuesday that Democrats will retake control of the House in the midterm elections.
“Let me say this. Up until today, I would’ve said, ‘If the election were held today, we would win,’ ” Pelosi said on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.”
“What now I’m saying is, ‘We will win,’ ” she added.
{mosads}Late-night host Stephen Colbert responded by saying that her confidence could jinx the party’s prospects, noting Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton’s loss in the 2016 election.
“Do you want to say that on Hillary’s fireworks barge that she canceled? Please don’t say that. … And how long are the curtains that you’re measuring right now?” Colbert joked.
“No, we’re not measuring,” Pelosi replied. “We’re just walking precincts and if everyone votes, we’ll have even a bigger victory. But Democrats will carry the House. If we have a bigger victory, the Senate, governorships, it’s going to be a great night for America.”
Pelosi’s comments came one week before what Democrats have viewed as a pivotal midterm election cycle, as they try to seize on opposition to President Trump.
Democrats need to flip at least 23 seats to retake a majority in the lower chamber.
Pelosi has previously stated that she’s confident about Democrats’ prospects. She told the Boston Globe in May that Democrats would win the House and that she would run for Speaker.
Polls have shown that Democrats have an opportunity to retake the House this year. A USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times survey released earlier this week, for example, showed Democrats leading Republicans by 17 points on a generic ballot. The Democrats’ lead over Republicans is 7.6 percentage points in a RealClearPolitics average of recent polling.
— This report was updated at 7:34 a.m.