James Clyburn

Nathan Woods can still hear the gunshots outside his D.C. home in the early ’90s. He grew up in Wellington Park, a neighborhood less than four miles from the lobbying and lawmaking of Capitol Hill.

When he was a sophomore at Woodberry Forest High School, an all-boys boarding school down in Virginia, he got the call: His oldest brother, Errick, had been shot in the head. By the time he got to the hospital, his brother was dead.

House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi on Monday endorsed her top two deputies, Steny H. Hoyer of Maryland and James E. Clyburn of South Carolina, to remain in their respective Nos. 2 and 3 leadership positions in the majority. 

Hoyer, the current minority whip, is running for majority leader and Clyburn, the current assistant Democratic leader, is running for majority whip. Both are running unopposed after Colorado Rep. Diana DeGette dropped out of the whip race Monday.

Colorado Rep. Diana DeGette has dropped out of the race for majority whip, leaving South Carolina Rep. James E. Clyburn running unopposed to retain his No. 3 position in Democratic leadership. 

“Many of my supporters have expressed concern about pressure they are receiving to return the three senior leaders to their posts without opposition,” DeGette said in a statement.  “We have enough work to do without this internal pressure. Therefore, I am withdrawing my bid for Whip at this time.”

Democratic Caucus Chairman Joseph Crowley does not need to step down from his No. 4 position in leadership after losing his primary in New York’s 14th District Tuesday night, the top three House Democrats said. 

“No, absolutely not,” Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said when asked if Crowley should step down as caucus chairman. The California Democrat added that “of course” Crowley can continue in his leadership role. 

"Emboldened."   

That was how House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi described the mood as her Democratic colleagues staged a sit-in  Wednesday on the House floor to call for a vote on gun control. Democrats left the chamber Thursday, nearly 26 hours later, still showing signs of that boldness.   

Rep. Xavier Becerra said Wednesday that he has "no knowledge" of being vetted for vice president, but his colleagues say they expect he'll be among Hillary Clinton's top choices for the Democratic ticket.  

"If he’s not being vetted, I hope he will be," Assistant Democratic Leader Jim Clyburn of South Carolina said, calling the Californian a "stand up kind of guy."  

One’s a group of veterans with some time-tested hits who may have stayed on the stage too long. And the other is the "World’s Greatest Rock and Roll Band."  

The top Democrat was "Happy" to grab the gavel from the Republicans after her party’s triumph in the 2006 mid-term election, which made her the first female speaker of the House.

Very few leaders, from professional sports coaches to Fortune 500 CEOs, keep their jobs after three straight losing seasons.  

Nancy Pelosi has led House Democrats since 2003, bringing them out of the wilderness in 2006, taking them all the way to 256 seats after the 2008 elections only to oversee the drop to the current nadir of 188 members, the result of three straight elections of missing the majority mark.