- Nancy Pelosi, 85, announced she will not seek reelection after nearly 40 years, leaving Congress at the end of her term in early 2027.
- Her departure reshapes California’s 11th District race, prompting a crowded Democratic field and intensifying debates over generational change and party direction.
WASHINGTON—In a poignant video message to her San Francisco constituents Thursday, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the iron-willed Democrat who shattered glass ceilings and steered landmark legislation through a fractious Congress, announced she won’t seek an 21st term.
At 85, after nearly four decades in Washington, Pelosi framed her decision as a heartfelt farewell to the city she loves, but it arrives against a backdrop of internal Democratic soul-searching over age, power, and the party’s future—exacerbated by the shadow of President Donald Trump’s second term.
“Thank you, San Francisco,” Pelosi began in the nearly six-minute video, her voice steady as she gazed into the camera against a backdrop of the Golden Gate Bridge. “You have given me the faith and the latitude that you have given me that enabled me to shatter the marble ceiling to be the first woman Speaker of the House.”
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She went on to reflect on her roots in Baltimore’s Little Italy, where she grew up trailing her father, Thomas D’Alesandro Jr., a congressman and mayor, through the halls of power.
“I will not be seeking reelection to Congress,” she said plainly, urging her hometown to “know your power” and “fight for the American values we hold dear” in the face of national challenges.
New Voices Emerge
The timing felt deliberate. Pelosi’s announcement came just two days after California voters overwhelmingly approved Proposition 50, a ballot measure she championed that redraws congressional districts to bolster Democrats ahead of the 2026 midterms—a victory that secures her party’s footing in a map tilted against them.
Yet speculation about her exit had simmered for months, fueled by a broader reckoning within the Democratic ranks.
Biden’s late withdrawal from the 2024 race, amid questions about his age and acuity, amplified calls for generational turnover. Allies like Reps. Jan Schakowsky of Illinois and Jerry Nadler of New York have already stepped aside, facing primary challengers who argue it’s time for fresh voices.
Pelosi, ever the strategist, had hinted she’d hold off on any decision until after the Prop 50 vote, telling CNN last month, “I have no doubt that if I decided to run, I would win.”
Her departure now clears the path for a crowded field in California’s 11th District, a reliably blue stronghold encompassing much of San Francisco. Progressive firebrand Saikat Chakrabarti, former chief of staff to Rep.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, is already mounting a bid with a populist pitch targeting Silicon Valley corruption and the Trump administration’s excesses.
Scott Wiener, a moderate with deep ties to the district, jumped in last month despite earlier pledging to wait for Pelosi’s move.
Others, like Cleve Jones—the AIDS activist who once dismissed Pelosi as a “society lady” before becoming an admirer—have thrown their weight behind challengers, signaling the district’s progressive undercurrents could make the race a microcosm of the party’s left-center divide.
Pelosi’s legacy, though, towers over such jockeying. Elected in a 1987 special election after years as California Democratic Party chair, she ascended to Democratic Whip in 2001 and claimed the Speaker’s gavel in 2007—the first woman to do so.
President George W. Bush marked the moment wryly in his State of the Union address, becoming the first to hail a “Madame Speaker.”
From there, she orchestrated the Affordable Care Act’s passage in 2010, a feat former Obama campaign manager Jim Messina hailed Thursday as impossible without her: “There is no Affordable Care Act without her. The greatest and most skilled Speaker of all time.”
Her whip-smart arm-twisting quelled revolts from the progressive “Squad” in 2018 and even played a backchannel role in nudging Biden out of the 2024 race, according to insiders.
Colleagues like Rep. Jackie Speier, who served alongside her for 15 years, marveled at her command: “She has a presence. All eyes turn to her.”
Controversies Engraved in Pelosi’s Legacy
Pelosi’s tenure wasn’t without controversy—critics on the right long painted her as the epitome of coastal elitism, a San Francisco millionaire wielding a tight fist over her caucus.
And whispers of insider trading have dogged her family, with her husband Paul’s investments drawing scrutiny, as Breitbart noted in a pointed send-off Thursday.
But no rivalry defined Pelosi’s era like her scorched-earth clashes with Donald Trump. Their feud, spanning two impeachments and countless barbs, boiled over again this week—just hours after her retirement video dropped.
In a CNN interview Monday, Pelosi didn’t mince words about the president she helped oust in 2020, only to see return in 2024: “He’s just a vile creature, the worst thing on the face of the Earth,” she said, blasting Trump’s alleged disregard for the Constitution.
The remarks, aired on the eve of off-year elections, ignited a firestorm. Conservatives pounced, with Fox News contributor Steve Cortes decrying “hateful Leftist charlatans” and Trump scion Donald Jr. smirking online that “Trump broke her.”
President Donald Trump’s Comments on Pelosi
Trump, never one to let an opening pass, fired back Thursday afternoon in remarks to Fox’s Peter Doocy: “This is a great thing for America. She was evil, corrupt, and only focused on bad things for our country.”
He crowed about surviving her two “witch hunts,” adding, “I’m very honored she impeached me twice and failed miserably twice!”
The exchange underscores the raw nerves still exposed in a divided Washington, where Trump’s aggressive second-term agenda—slashing healthcare and food programs while pushing $4.5 trillion in tax cuts—has Democrats scrambling.
Pelosi, even in her emerita role, has been plotting countermeasures, hosting roundtables to amplify stories of those hurt by GOP proposals and vowing, “We stopped them in 2017, and we’ll stop them again in 2025.”
No More Stock Tips?
As the longest-serving House Democrat, Pelosi leaves amid a party in flux. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, whom she endorsed as her successor in 2022, told CBS News last month he hadn’t discussed her plans with her—yet her shadow looms large.
Republicans, savoring the moment, couldn’t resist the jabs; Rep. Tim Burchett quipped about losing his “stock tips” from Pelosi, a nod to the trading allegations.
For San Francisco, Pelosi’s exit marks the end of an era. Union workers who sported her autographed T-shirts and rainbow pins of “six tiny Nancys” at rallies will miss the fighter who elevated their city as a progressive beacon.
As she serves out her term through early 2027, one thing’s clear: the woman who ripped up Trump’s State of the Union speech in 2020 won’t fade quietly.
Her final act? Rallying Democrats to claw back the House—and settling one last score with her old nemesis.
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