Today's Playbook Audio Brief is brought to you by United Health Group.

Good Monday morning. I'm Anna Palmer and welcome to your Politico Playbook audio briefing.

And I'm Jake Sherman. The House and Senate are back this week. It's House Leadership Election Week in the Capitol, which means we'll find out who's ascended in Democratic and Republican leaderships and who will spend the next two years grumpily plotting to

take back power. The top of both parties are all but set. Nancy Pelosi will lead House Democrats

and Kevin McCarthy will lead House Republicans, but there are open questions. How many Dems will

vote against Pelosi in the close meeting? Will any dope raise their hand to launch a half-cocked

attempt to take Pelosi out? And who will take the lower leadership slots? The two elections are truly a tale of two parties. Democrats are holding their election

virtually, and Republicans are holding theirs in person. Four hours together with many mask deniers.

Most interesting action is on the Democratic side. Pelosi still has a very firm grip on the caucus,

but she is 80, and there is positioning

for a post-Pelosi world. Representatives Catherine Clark, the Democrat from Massachusetts,

and David Cicillini, the Democrat from Rhode Island, are vying to be assistant speaker. Clark

is giving up her post as Democratic caucus vice chair.

Representatives Pete Aguier, the Democrat from California, Robin Kelly, the Democrat from Illinois,

and Deb Holland, the Democrat from New Mexico, are vying to take over the vice chair post.

Democrats will also select members for the Democratic Policy and Communications Committee and the caucus

leadership representative, which get the winners into the leadership tent. Uncontested Democratic

Leadership Post will be approved on Wednesday, with the intra-party fights put off until Thursday.

All elections are being held remotely. The battle for the next chair for the D-Triple-C and who gets

committee gavels will be held in December. Here's something to think about. Pelosi's majority is going to be

thin. She may have something like 223 or 224 votes. If the Biden administration plucks any

Democrats from the House for the administration, Democrats would have to sweat out special elections to hold the seat.

...