Nancy Pelosi, First Female Speaker Of The House, Won't Seek Re-election To Congress

6 days ago

WASHINGTON — In a last emotion missive to San Francisco, Rep. Nancy Pelosi, who made history arsenic nan nation’s first female speaker of nan House and doubly served successful that apical job, said Thursday successful a video connection she will not activity re-election successful 2026.

"I will not beryllium seeking re-election to Congress. With a grateful heart, I look guardant to my last twelvemonth of work arsenic your proud representative," Pelosi, 85, said successful her video connection to San Francisco voters, interlaced pinch sweeping imagery of nan Golden Gate Bridge, Coit Tower and different landmarks, arsenic good arsenic photos that captured her storied governmental career.

The powerful California Democrat led her statement successful nan House for 2 decades — from 2002 to 2022 — serving arsenic a important state for Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden, and orchestrating nan guidance to Republican Presidents George W. Bush and Donald Trump.

NBC News reported this week that Democrats successful California and connected Capitol Hill were preparing for her status announcement.

While she had stepped speech arsenic statement leader 3 years ago, she had continued to service successful nan House arsenic a rank-and-file personnel and her Democratic colleagues granted Pelosi nan title of "speaker emerita."

Pelosi had said she would make a determination astir her governmental early aft nan result of California’s Prop 50, nan caller legislature representation drawn by authorities Democrats to combat GOP redistricting efforts successful different states. Upon its transition successful Tuesday’s election, Pelosi decided it was clip to walk nan torch.

Her determination will spark a fierce title for her liberal, deep-blue San Francisco spot astatine a infinitesimal erstwhile Democrats crossed nan state are embracing a caller procreation of leaders.

“As we spell forward, my connection to nan metropolis I emotion is this: San Francisco, cognize your power,” Pelosi said successful her video announcement. “We person made history; we person made progress. We person ever led nan way, and now we must proceed to do truthful by remaining afloat participants successful our democracy, and fighting for nan American ideals we clasp dear.”

A erstwhile chair of nan California Democratic Party, Pelosi, was first elected to nan House successful a typical predetermination successful 1987 to switch nan precocious Rep. Sala Burton. Since then, Pelosi has won each bid for re-election by wide margins and has been 1 of her party's astir prolific fundraisers and polarizing figures.

Nancy Pelosi astatine predetermination office connected superior predetermination night, April 7, 1987.

Even earlier her announcement, astatine slightest 2 Democrats had already launched bids to switch her: authorities Sen. Scott Weiner, 55, and able erstwhile tech executive Saikat Chakrabarti, 39, a co-founder of nan progressive extracurricular group Justice Democrats that helped propel Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., to governmental stardom.

Pelosi’s determination is judge to entice others to propulsion their hats successful nan ring, fixed that a competitory legislature title has not been held successful San Francisco for astir 4 decades.

Pelosi was calved into a well-connected governmental family successful Baltimore successful 1940. Her father, Thomas D’Alesandro Jr., was a Democratic congressman, and some he and her relative would spell connected to service arsenic mayors of Baltimore. Her begetter lived to spot Pelosi, past 47 years aged and a mother of 5 grown children, elected to Congress successful June 1987; he died conscionable 2 months later.

Members Of The Congressional Baseball Team Practice For Game With Correspondents.

Having learned nan family business from her father, Pelosi quickly roseate done nan ranks connected Capitol Hill. She scored plum assignments connected nan House Appropriations and Intelligence committees, providing her pinch acquisition successful national backing and nationalist information matters that would later service her successful leadership.

Her large opportunity came successful 2001, erstwhile House Minority Whip David Bonior said he was stepping speech from nan No. 2 position to tally for politician of Michigan. In nan hard-fought title to switch him, Pelosi defeated Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md. — nan 2 had interned connected Capitol Hill together successful 1963 — successful a 118-95 closed-door vote, making her nan highest-ranking female personnel of Congress successful history.

Pelosi Named House Minority Leader For U.S. House Of Representatives.

Another opportunity came conscionable a twelvemonth later. When Democrats grounded to seizure nan mostly successful nan 2002 midterms, Minority Leader Dick Gephardt, D-Mo., announced he was stepping down and to attraction connected a statesmanlike run. Pelosi trounced then-Rep. Harold Ford Jr., D-Tenn., successful a landslide 177-29 ballot for number leader, making her nan apical Democrat successful nan House.

After Democrats took backmost power of nan enclosure successful nan 2006 midterms, Pelosi was elected nan first female House speaker successful history, shattering 1 of nan highest solid ceilings successful each of U.S. politics.