Ex-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi Thursday announced she won’t run for reelection next year, ending a trailblazing career as one of the most powerful and effective congressional leaders in recent American history.
Pelosi, who broke the glass ceiling to become the first woman to serve as Speaker, said she was retiring after representing her beloved hometown of San Francisco in Washington, D.C. for nearly four decades.
“I will not be seeking reelection to Congress,” Pelosi, 85, said in a video address to voters.
Striking an optimistic tone, Pelosi framed her political swan song as a message of inspiration to her constituents.
She urged San Francisco to jealously guard its place as a progressive vanguard as Democrats fight back against President Trump’s right-wing second-term agenda.
“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 will continue to serve out her final term, which ends after next year’s midterm elections. She stepped down as Democratic House leader after the party lost control of the chamber in the 2022 midterms.
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-New York) assumed the mantle from Pelosi and is on track to become the first Black Speaker of the House if Democrats can retake the House in 2026.
Several local Democrats are expected to vie for Pelosi’s seat, which is one of the deepest blue districts in the country.
Pelosi’s decision, while not fully unexpected, ricocheted across San Francisco, California and the nation.
She is only the most senior of a generation of Democratic leaders who are stepping aside amid calls for party renewal ahead of next year’s midterm elections.
