Dennis Hastert Expected to Resign

Word is that former Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert (R-IL) will resign on November 6th of this year.  If that happens, he will be replaced in a special election.  This would slightly benefit Democrats who want a shot at his seat, since Barack Obama's (D-IL) participation in the presidential primary is expected to bring out a higher than usual number of Democratic voters.  The current Speaker of the House is California Democrat Nancy Pelosi, who was elected the first woman speaker shortly after Democrats gained the majority in Congress after the 2006 mid-term election.