Nancy Pelosi, the California congresswoman who broke barriers as the only woman ever to serve as speaker of the House of Representatives, has announced that she will not seek reelection for her seat in Congress. Pelosi’s retirement ends a 40-year career in Congress that saw her as one of the most powerful people in Washington and a uniquely effective leader and political operative.
Nancy Pelosi’s rise and leadership within the Democratic Party
Pelosi announced Thursday morning that she will not run for another term in Congress, bringing to an end a remarkable political career. Pelosi, born Nancy Patricia D’Alesandro in 1940, grew up in a political family. Her father, Thomas D’Alesandro Jr., was a congressman representing Baltimore and later became the city’s mayor, as did her brother, Thomas D’Alesandro III. Her involvement in politics started with hosting fundraisers and events as a stay-at-home mom for the children she had with her husband, venture capitalist Paul Pelosi, whom she met at Georgetown University. Pelosi worked her way up the ladder within the California Democratic Party, becoming its first woman chair. She won a 1987 special election that sent her to the House of Representatives, where she has represented parts of the San Francisco area for nearly 40 years and gained a reputation as an advocate for the LGBTQ+ community, among other passions. Pelosi posted a video on social media announcing her retirement from Congress and reflecting her representation of the city, with the caption “Thank you, San Francisco.”
Pelosi rose within congressional leadership to become the first woman to be speaker of the House from 2007 until 2011, returning to that position in 2019 until 2023. Her ascendancy coincided with that of other Democrats in Congress, such as South Carolina Rep. James Clyburn and Georgia Rep. John Lewis, who served as majority whip and chief deputy whip, respectively, during her leadership. Pelosi’s first stint as speaker coincided with the last years of the Bush administration and the race to succeed him. During the 2008 presidential primary race, when Barack Obama had gained a formidable lead over Hillary Clinton in the primary race, Pelosi publicly expressed her opposition to using Democratic Party “superdelegates” to decide the party’s nomination, a tacit endorsement of Obama over Clinton. After Obama came to office, Pelosi was instrumental in passing several key items on his agenda. Most notably, she publicly and privately spearheaded the passage of the Affordable Care Act, overcoming the Democratic loss of a supermajority in the Senate and pushing Obama to support the healthcare overhaul rather than scaling it back to more minor reforms. Obama acknowledged her pivotal role in the healthcare reform that is often seen as his signature achievement.
“No one was more skilled at bringing people together and getting legislation passed — and I will always be grateful for her support of the Affordable Care Act. She made us proud to be Democrats,” Obama posted on X, formerly Twitter, about Pelosi after her retirement announcement, adding, she “will go down in history as one of the best speakers the House of Representatives has ever had.”
Navigating party divides and Trump
As effective as Pelosi was at passing legislation as speaker, she was similarly skilled at keeping the Democratic caucus in line and leading the opposition during the presidencies of George W. Bush and Donald Trump. Pelosi infamously ripped up a copy of Trump’s 2020 State of the Union address while standing behind him during the event.
“He shredded the truth, so I shredded his speech,” she said of the iconic moment.
Pelosi led House Democrats as they impeached Trump for attempting to manipulate military aid to Ukraine and again for his role in the January 6, 2021, Capitol Hill insurrection; Pelosi’s life was threatened during that event. Trump, who previously mocked a near-fatal 2022 attack against Paul Pelosi in the couple’s home, celebrated news of the congresswoman’s retirement.
“The retirement of Nancy Pelosi is a great thing for America,” Trump said in a message read aloud Thursday on Fox News. “She was evil, corrupt, and only focused on bad things for our country. She was rapidly losing control of her party, and it was never coming back. I’m very honored that she impeached me twice and failed miserably twice,” Trump said, also calling her “a highly overrated politician.”
Pelosi’s last years in office have seen her manage generational and ideological shifts in the Democratic Party. Pelosi supported civil rights and racial justice, though some of her efforts, such as donning Kente cloth in 2020 or singing “Lift Every Voice and Sing” in 2021, drew mockery from both sides of the political aisle. In 2019, Pelosi retained her leadership position in the face of skepticism from a new generation of progressive representatives, including New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez; Pelosi appointed Ocasio-Cortez, Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., and former Missouri Rep. Cori Bush to the powerful House Oversight Committee. In 2023, Pelosi passed the torch of Democratic Party leader in the House to New York Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, who, at 30 years her junior, represents a new generation of political leadership. While Pelosi did not publicly break with President Joe Biden during calls for him to drop out of the 2024 election, she was seen as one of the leading behind-the-scenes forces to convince him to exit the race, and Pelosi was among the first Democratic leaders to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris for the nomination.
Pelosi’s retirement marks the end of an era in which she defined and championed the Democratic Party’s agenda. With Tuesday’s Democratic victories and historic firsts, Pelosi is leaving office at a time when her party is promoting younger and more diverse leadership. These new leaders will face the challenges of taking on the Trump agenda and guiding the Democratic Party as it attempts to reassert its influence in Washington and around the country.