Doubts of leadership plague House

WASHINGTON — The House returns from its July Fourth recess this week in a state of uncertainty, with both Democrats and Republicans facing open questions about their leaders’ futures.

“Sometimes things have to be torn down before they can be built back up,” said Rep. Brian Higgins, D-N.Y. “And I think we are in the tearing-down phase, at least in the House.”

For Democrats, the loss in a primary of a popular lawmaker seen as a potential House speaker has injected uncertainty into a struggle over control of the caucus.

Frustration with Rep. Nancy Pelosi of California, 78, has given way to calls for the passing of the baton to a younger generation.

With the retirement of Speaker Paul Ryan of Wisconsin at the end of the year, Republicans face their own fight for control. It remains to be seen if Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California, the majority leader, can consolidate the support to replace Ryan.

One potential challenger, Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio, fell under a cloud last week with the emergence of allegations that he knew about and did not act on accusations of sexual abuse when he was a wrestling coach at Ohio State University. Another, Rep. Steve Scalise of Louisiana, appears to be mounting a publicrelations campaign before the release of his book, chronicling his recovery after he was shot at a congressional baseball practice.

Both struggles are playing out against the backdrop of November’s elections, in which control of the House could tip to the Democrats.