MONEY: Why Democrats can’t quit Nancy Pelosi.

Democrats would have massive gaps to fill if they were to oust Pelosi.

Chief among those is fundraising. Since 2002, Pelosi has hauled in $568 million for House Democratic campaigns — including $141 million during the 2016 campaign cycle.

Pelosi also has a long history of holding her party together through difficult votes — enabling former President Barack Obama to shepherd into law a series of Democratic-backed measures in 2009 and 2010 and later forcing Republicans to grapple with the politically damaging divisions within their own ranks.

No other Democrat possesses the stature to match those accomplishments.

That reality was the subtext for Pelosi’s taunting remarks Thursday in which she cast her Democratic critics as hungry for attention rather than serious about ousting her.

“When it comes to personal ambition and having fun on TV, have your fun,” Pelosi said. “I love the arena. I thrive on competition.”

Of the political impact of the Republican attacks: “I think I’m worth the trouble,” she said.

Half a billion dollars worth of fundraising is nothing to sneeze at, but even that has gotten Democrats the majority in just two elections — one won on the back of George W. Bush’s implosion, and the other on Barack Obama’s coattails.