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Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi announced that she won't seek reelection to the U.S. House of Representatives, effectively ending her political career after nearly 40 years representing San Francisco.
Pelosi, 85, is the first woman to serve as House Speaker and one of the most powerful names in the Democratic party.
“I say to my colleagues in the House all of the time, no matter what title they had bestowed upon me – speaker, leader, whip – there has been no greater honor for me than to stand on the House floor and say, ‘I speak for the people of San Francisco.’ I have truly loved serving as your voice in Congress, and I have always honored the song of St. Francis, ‘Lord make an instrument of thy peace,’ the anthem of our city. That is why I want you, my fellow San Franciscans, to be the first to know. I will not be seeking reelection to Congress,” Pelosi said in a video shared on her social media account. “With a grateful heart, I look forward to my final year of service as your proud representative. As we go forward, my message to the city I love is this: San Francisco, know your power. We have made history. We have made progress. We have always led the way, and now we must continue to do so by remaining full participants in our Democracy and fighting for the American ideals we hold dear.”
Pelosi's announcement followed speculation that she would soon announce her retirement following the conclusion of her current term, her first in decades as a rank-and-file member of Congress. The 85-year-old was first elected as a U.S. House of Representatives member from California in 1987 and has served four districts since.
Pelosi was the first and only female to serve as House speaker, a role she held from 2007 to 2011 and again from 2018 to 2023. The veteran politician's retirement announcement came two days after Democrats swept major elections along the East Coast with former Rep. Abigail Spanberger and Rep. Mikie Sherrill winning the Virginia and New Jersey gubernatorial elections, respectively; Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani winning the New York City mayoral election; Jay Jones winning the Virginia attorney general election; and Ghazala Hashmi winning the lieutenant governor election.
Additionally, Proposition 50, which called for a new congressional map that could help Democrats win five more House seats, passed with 63.8% support in Pelosi's home state of California.