But a number of the potential Democratic newcomers are running in conservative-leaning districts. Their election could present Pelosi with a bigger majority, but not one likely to follow lock-step behind her.
"The bigger majority, the harder it is to control," said Robert L. Bixby, executive director of the Concord Coalition, a budget watchdog group. "A lot of these conservative Democrats have been running against Republicans who have said, 'You can't let the Democrats take control because they'll go on a spending spree.' So they'll be particularly sensitive to that."
The new moderates could serve as a "brake" on liberal lawmakers who see this as their time to act on a range of issues, said Larry Sabato, a University of Virginia political scientist.
All 435 House seats are up for election, as they are every two years, and most incumbents are expected to coast to reelection. Democrats now outnumber Republicans, 235 to 199, with one vacancy.
The potential Democratic pickups underscore Republican troubles in a year when popularity of the GOP has plunged along with the stock market. Democrats have benefited from a campaign war chest flush with money, and the GOP has been forced to defend 30 open seats, compared with eight for the opposing party.
A big Republican loss is likely to prompt a shake-up in the House GOP leadership, perhaps costing Boehner his post.
The signs of a potentially big Democratic year can be found from Connecticut -- where Rep. Christopher Shays is in danger of losing the last GOP-held House seat in New England -- to Alaska, where 35-year House veteran Young, a key player on land issues important to the West, stands to lose his seat. Democrats even have a shot at winning a seat in Wyoming that Republicans have held since Dick Cheney, now the vice president, won it from a Democrat in 1978.
The races feature an eclectic bunch. Dennis Shulman, a New Jersey Democrat, rabbi and psychologist, is seeking to become the first blind member of the House since 1941. Larry Joe Doherty, the former star of the courtroom TV show "Texas Justice," is the Democratic candidate for House in -- where else? -- Texas.
When Democrats won a House majority in 2006, they did so without an incumbent Democrat losing. They may not be so lucky this time. Democratic Rep. Tim Mahoney won a Florida seat in 2006 after Republican Rep. Mark Foley resigned over revelations that he sent sexually explicit messages to male congressional pages. Now, Mahoney is embroiled in his own scandal after admitting to extramarital affairs.
