Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced Thursday she will not seek reelection after nearly 40 years in Congress. She shared the news in a video on X, with the caption “Thank you, San Francisco.”
“I want you, my fellow San Franciscans, to be the first to know I will not be seeking reelection to Congress,” Pelosi, a Democrat, said in the video. “With a grateful heart, I look forward to my final year of service as your proud representative.”
The announcement marks the end of her historic 20 terms in office. She served as House speaker twice and is the only woman to hold the title. She was an often-polarizing figure in an increasingly partisan Congress, who clashed with Republicans like President Donald Trump as well as, at times, members of her own party.
In the video, she spoke of her unique place in U.S. history.
“It was the faith that you had placed in me and the latitude that you have given me that enabled me to shatter the marble ceiling and be the first woman Speaker of the House whose voice would certainly be heard,” Pelosi said. “It was a historic moment for our country, and it was momentous for our community.”
Pelosi’s career
She first joined the political landscape on a federal level in 1987, when she famously claimed she went “from the kitchen to the Congress.” Pelosi had previously been raising her children and working in state politics in California.
She began her time on Capitol Hill on the Appropriations Committee but quickly rose through Democratic leadership. In 2002, Democrats elected her as House minority leader, making her the first woman to lead a major party in either chamber.
In 2007 the House elected her as its first female speaker, a role she held for four years. She returned to the role in 2019, making her the first two-time speaker in more than 60 years.
