Representative Hakeem Jeffries is so close to becoming Speaker of the House that he doesn’t even need to measure the drapes.

In the literal office politics that plays out in the halls of Congress, power and seniority correlate directly with the size and grandeur of the space a politician controls, and the suite Jeffries already occupies as leader of the House Democrats is prime real estate, with thick blue carpeting, a fireplace, leather armchairs, a soaring high ceiling, and a giant mirror that makes the already spacious room look vast. It’s the same perch from which Thomas “Tip” O’Neill ran the House during a record-setting ten consecutive years as Speaker, from 1977 to 1987.

If he becomes Speaker, the Brooklyn lawmaker might stay in the current digs, snag one of the coveted, unmarked “hideaway” suits near the House floor, or spend time in the ornate Speaker’s Ceremonial Office, normally reserved for bill signings. The Speaker has the power to choose, and that’s the point. “Like George Jefferson said: Moving on up,” Jeffries wisecracked as we sat down.

Jeffries and the Dems have the wind at their back: Since 1938, the president’s party has lost seats in midterm elections 20 out of 22 times. (The exceptions were in 1998, when Democrats benefited from a backlash against the impeachment of Bill Clinton, and 2002, when Republicans gained seats during the run-up to the Iraq War following the 9/11 terrorist attacks.) If the historical pattern holds, Republicans will lose their razor-thin majority, and control of the House, in November.

“We’ve definitely identified 40 to........

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