“I’m not here on a shift. I’m here on a mission."

Pelosi declared the main reason she chose to stay put the past two years is to see Obamacare, which she had a strong hand in crafting and pushing through Congress, implemented successfully. Pelosi, like other Democrats, has publicly complained about the disastrous online rollout of the program, but she remains convinced it will turn out well in the long run.

One thing is for sure — Pelosi’s power and influence among her colleagues has returned to levels not seen since she served as speaker. Her position in the Democratic caucus — already strong — was further bolstered during the recent government shutdown and debt ceiling crises. As the Republicans fought each other, Pelosi adeptly managed to hold her colleagues together. And Democrats ultimately gave Speaker John Boehner the lion’s share of the votes to end the chaos…

“There is no sign that she is leaving. I think she will be here as long as President Barack Obama is [in office],” said Steve Elmendorf, a Democratic lobbyist at Elemendorf Ryan who is close to Pelosi. “As long as you have a Democratic president, even the minority leader job is a pretty good job … and she has a legitimate potential to become speaker.”