Tuesday, October 19th 2010, 12:39 PM

Nancy Pelosi isn't the most popular person in her party these days. But that's not keeping her off the campaign trail.

The House Speaker, who Republicans have dubbed the "wicked witch" of Washington, told a union crowd in Pittsburgh on Monday that it's crucial the Democrats win in the midterm elections.

She made no mention about current anti-incumbent, anti-Obama, and anti-Pelosi sentiment. But soon after her speech, -- where protestors rallied outside --  the Republican Party of Pennsylvania noted that endangered Democratic Reps. Jason Altmire, Kathy Dahlkemper and Mark Critz were "no shows" at the event.

While she fares much better in her own state, other embattled House Democrats, like Georgia's Jim Marshall and Mississippi's Gene Taylor, have tried to distance themselves from the once-popular politician, vowing to not support her for Speaker.

A recent NBC/Wall Street Journal poll found that Pelosi has a mere 22% approval rating and a 50% disapproval rating, which makes her less popular than President Obama, former Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin and Minority Leader John Boehner.

Meanwhile, Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele brought his "Fire Pelosi Bus Tour," part of a 100-city-circuit to Louisville, Kentucky to energize the GOP, the Courier-Journal reported.

Republicans need to win 39 seats take control of the House and 10 seats to capture control of the Senate.

Cook Political Report predicted a GOP net gain of at least 40 seats in the House and seven to nine seats in the Senate. 

But Pelosi doesn't seem to be worried about the mounting criticism. And although she's been the GOP punching bag, most political insiders believe Pelosi will easily be re-elected to her seat.

She recently told an audience during a dinner for Fortune magazine's Most Powerful Women Summit her job requires a "suit of armor," adding if "no one's talking about you, you have to wonder what you were doing. I view that as a highest compliment that they want to take us down."