In her first month, Pelosi surges

Not long ago, Republicans chortled and Democrats ran scared when her name was mentioned. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) was the GOP’s not-so-secret weapon—or so they thought.

In relative terms, she was never as unpopular as they believed. More often than not, Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) were no better liked. Nonetheless, Republicans had invested tens of millions of dollars in demonizing her before the last cycle even began, and they were convinced it was about to pay off. …

She showed ‘em. Applying her boundless energy, her unrivaled political acumen and her intense focus, she won back the House. Since then, Pelosi has demonstrated that she knows how to take on, and beat, a widely reviled president. As a result, her popularity is surging even while her foes are stuck. CONT.

Mark Mellman (Mellman Group), The Hill