Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) (C) is joined by (L-R) Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-CA), House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-MD), Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) and Rep. Joe Crowley (D-NY) for a
- Democrats have gone from being optimistic to confident that they will take back the House of Representatives following the November midterms.
- The possibility has stirred speculation about whether Democrats will move to impeach President Donald Trump.
- Few Democrats want to actively talk about impeaching Trump, because most consider it a nuisance and a distraction from more serious issues.
As the November midterms come around the corner, Democrats have gone from being optimistic to confident that they will take the House of Representatives.
Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said as much when she appeared on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" earlier this week.
"Up until today, I would've said, 'If the election were held today, we would win,'" she told the host. "What now I'm saying is, 'We will win.'"
As Democrats gear up to regain control of the House, it has stirred speculation about whether the party will move to impeach President Donald Trump. Indeed, Republican lawmakers and candidates have made that a bedrock of their campaigns leading up to the midterms, warning that they're the only ones standing between the president and vengeful Democrats.
But few Democrats want to actively talk about impeaching President Donald Trump, whether it is in the Capitol or on the campaign trail. For many, the issue is a nuisance and a distraction from more serious issues. Senior leadership has also repeatedly cautioned against impeachment, warning that it would only deepen partisan squabbling in Congress.
The House previously tabled attempts by Texas Rep. Al Green, a Democrat, to impeach Trump. The most recent instance occurred in January, when only 66 Democrats voted to keep the impeachment resolution, compared to 121 who sided with the entirety of House Republicans. Three Democrats voted "present."
Read more: More Americans are calling for Trump's impeachment than ever - here's how that would play out
Democratic operatives have also been irked by billionaire megadonor Tom Steyer and his "Need to Impeach" campaign.
Steyer has launched high-dollar campaigns calling for Trump to be impeached, in which he tells voters, "People in Congress and his own administration know this president is a clear and present danger who is mentally unstable and armed with nuclear weapons ... and they do nothing."
Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen, the current chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, told Business Insider in May that Democrats need to navigate their campaigns the way they see fit.
But regarding Steyer's impeachment effort, "I would use my resources a little differently."