“No, I’ve made no commitments for speaker. Until we see the outcome of this election, I don’t even know who will be running for speaker,” Edwards said in an interview while campaigning Saturday in this small town of 5,000 southwest of Waco.

Democrats from a number of states, including Texas, Ohio and North Carolina, are running away from Pelosi in a harsh political climate. Distancing one’s self from the speaker is nothing new for many Democrats, including Edwards, but the number of incumbents and the volume of their criticism of the party House leader is larger than it has been in past election cycles – and the volume of their criticism is louder.

More than a few Democrats have said they are wavering on supporting Pelosi as their leader next year. At least four House Democrats are running ads stating their opposition to the speaker’s agenda, and one Democrat running in Tennessee called for her resignation.