The 2006 Race for Democratic Majority Leader: Money, Policy, and Personal Loyalty

In the week following the November 2006 midterm elections, which gave the Democratic Party control of Congress, both parties in the House held elections for various leadership offices. A total of six positions in both parties were contested, an unusually large number, but the campaign for one office—the Democratic majority leader—garnered the most attention. That race pitted two moderate Democrats against each other, threatened to split the party, and featured a remarkable intervention by the incoming speaker.Thanks to Doug Harris, Jeffrey Lewis, Keith Poole, and Eric Powers for their valuable suggestions and assistance.