Published online by Cambridge University Press: 11 January 2008
The election of a Democratic majority to the U.S. House ofRepresentatives in the 110th Congress paved the way forNancy Pelosi of California to become the first woman speaker. As theincumbent Democratic leader, Pelosi was well known on Capitol Hill.Yet as the incoming speaker, and the first woman speaker, she facedthe certainty of receiving extensive media scrutiny in the run up tothe 2006 election, during the transition period, and during herfirst year in office. How would she become viewed by the Americanpeople? And who would shape the public's perception of her? Whatrole would gender and her status as the historic first woman speakerplay in focusing the lens of media attention?