Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi has announced she won't run for reelection to the U.S. House, concluding her distinguished tenure, which was not only the first woman in the speaker's office but also arguably the most influential in American politics.
TL;DR
- Nancy Pelosi announced she will not seek reelection to the U.S. House of Representatives.
- Pelosi, the first woman speaker, is lauded by Obama as one of the House's greatest.
- Her nearly 40-year tenure saw landmark legislation and two impeachments of Donald Trump.
- Pelosi's departure sparks a leadership contest in her San Francisco district.
Pelosi, who has represented San Francisco for nearly 40 years, announced her decision Thursday.
“I will not be seeking reelection to Congress,” Pelosi said in a video address to voters.
Pelosi, projecting a positive and future-oriented demeanor as visuals showcasing her extensive achievements were displayed, stated her intention to complete her remaining term. She concluded by issuing a directive to her constituents, urging them to uphold the tradition of shaping policy both domestically and internationally.
“My message to the city I love is this: San Francisco, know your power,” she said. “We have made history. We have made progress. We have always led the way.”
Pelosi said, “And now we must continue to do so by remaining full participants in our democracy and fighting for the American ideals we hold dear.”
The ruling, though somewhat anticipated, reverberated throughout Washington and California, as a veteran cohort of political figures prepares to exit before next year's midterm contests. While some depart with reluctance, others do so with determination, yet a significant number are encountering opposition from emerging figures keen to take charge the Democratic Party and tackle President Donald Trump.
At 85, Pelosi continues to be a formidable political force, significantly influencing California’s redistricting effort, Prop 50, and the party's resurgence in this week's election. She keeps a demanding schedule of public appearances and party fundraising, and her declared exit sparks a leadership contest in her home district, raising uncertainties about her successor in the Capitol's behind-the-scenes leadership capacity.
Former President Barack Obama stated that Pelosi's place in history will be marked as “one of the best speakers the House of Representatives has ever had.”
Pelosi, who helped shape the Affordable Care Act under Obama and was a prominent figure internationally, entered Congress later in life. She was already a mother to five mostly grown children and hailed from a political dynasty in Baltimore, where both her father and brother held elected positions.
Republicans have long criticized her, spending millions on campaign ads portraying her as a coastal elite, yet Pelosi remained unchallenged. She consistently dismissed suggestions she should retire by reframing inquiries about her future plans into strong counterarguments, questioning if her experienced male counterparts on Capitol Hill faced similar scrutiny.
In her video address, she noted that her first campaign slogan was “a voice that will be heard.”
And with that backing, she became a speaker “whose voice would certainly be heard,” she said.
But after Pelosi quietly helped orchestrate Joe Biden’s withdrawal from the 2024 presidential race, she has decided to pass the torch, too.
Last year, she suffered a fall that led to a hip fracture while on a rapid congressional trip to European allies, yet it still demonstrated her resilience: It emerged she was taken to a military hospital for an operation — following the group picture, where she appears smiling and confident in her signature stiletto heels.
Pelosi’s decision also comes as her husband of more than six decades, Paul Pelosi, was gravely injured three years ago when an intruder demanding to know “Where is Nancy?” Broke into the couple’s home and beat him over the head with a hammer. His recovery from the attack, days before the 2022 midterm elections, is ongoing.
Ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, Pelosi faced a potential primary challenge in California. Newcomer Saikat Chakrabarti, who helped devise progressive Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s political rise in New York, has mounted a campaign, as has state Sen. Scott Wiener.
While Pelosi remains an unmatched force for the Democratic Party, having fundraised more than $1 billion over her career, her next steps are uncertain. First elected in 1987 after having worked in California state party politics, she has spent some four decades in public office.
Madam speaker takes the gavel
Pelosi’s legacy as House speaker is notable not just for her being the first woman to hold the position, but also for her effective use of the gavel, harnessing the considerable authority inherent in the roles that oversee the National Mall.
During her first tenure, from 2007 to 2011, she steered the House in passing landmark legislation into law — the Affordable Care Act, the Dodd-Frank financial reforms in the aftermath of the Great Recession and a repeal of the military’s Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy against LGBTQ service members.
The 2009-10 congressional session concluded as one of the most fruitful periods since the Johnson administration, with President Barack Obama in the White House and Nevada's Democratic Senator Harry Reid heading the Senate.
But a conservative Republican “tea party” revolt bounced Democrats from power, ushering in a new style of Republicans, who would pave the way for Trump to seize the White House in 2016.
Determined to win back control, Pelosi helped recruit and propel dozens of women to office in the 2018 midterm elections as Democrats running as the resistance to Trump’s first term.
On the campaign trail that year, Pelosi told The Associated Press that if House Democrats won, she would show the “power of the gavel.”
Pelosi returns to the speaker’s office as a check on Trump
Pelosi was the first speaker in about 50 years to reclaim the position, and her second tenure, spanning 2019 to 2023, proved potentially more significant than her initial one, especially as the Democratic Party's counter to Trump.
The House impeached Trump on two occasions: in 2019 concerning withholding U.S. Aid to Ukraine during a period of heightened tension with Russia at its frontier, and again in 2021 shortly after the Jan. 6 attack occurred at the U.S. Capitol. He was ultimately acquitted by The Senate in both impeachment proceedings.
Pelosi established the Jan. 6 select committee to examine Trump's involvement in dispatching his mob of supporters to the Capitol, at a time when most Republicans declined to investigate, resulting in the 1,000-page report, which served as the initial comprehensive report detailing events as the former president sought to retain power.
Following the Democratic party's loss of the House in the 2022 midterm elections, Pelosi declared she would step down as party leader.
Instead of stepping down, she forged a fresh path for executives, adopting the emerita designation that others would later adopt, such as Republican Representative Kevin McCarthy from California during his short period after being ousted by his colleagues from the speaker's position in 2023.