Nancy Pelosi announces retirement after decades in US Congress
Nancy Pelosi has announced her retirement from Congress, ending a decades-long career that saw the California Democrat become one of the most powerful figures in American politics.
In a video message Thursday, Pelosi said she would not seek re-election to Congress when her term ends in January 2027.
It marks the end of a storied political career: Pelosi, 85, became the first woman to serve as Speaker of the House and led her party in the lower house of Congress from 2003 to 2023.
“We have made history, we have made progress,” Pelosi said in her message.
“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.”
“As we move forward, my message to the city I love is: San Francisco, know your power,” Pelosi added.
Pelosi was first elected to Congress to represent San Francisco in 1987, at the age of 47, and quickly rose through the ranks.
She was elected by her party as Speaker of the House in 2007, becoming the first woman to hold this position. She served until 2011, when Democrats lost control of the lower house, before returning to the speaker’s chair from 2019 to 2023.
The Speaker of the House is the only congressional office provided for in the U.S. Constitution. After the vice president, he is the next in line to become president.
In this role, Pelosi played a vital role in advancing – or thwarting – the agendas of several presidents during her long career on Capitol Hill.
She is widely credited with masterminding the passage of former President Barack Obama’s health care legislation, as well as bills to combat infrastructure and climate change during Joe Biden’s presidency.
Pelosi also directly challenged Donald Trump throughout his presidency, ripping up a copy of his State of the Union address behind his back.
At that time, she was also a lightning rod for Republican anger – in their eyes, representing coastal elites pushing a radical, big-spending agenda.
She led two impeachment efforts against Trump – the first in 2019 over his dealings with Ukraine. Trump has been accused of pressuring Ukraine to retrieve damaging information about Biden and using military aid as leverage. He was later acquitted by the Republican-controlled Senate.
The second time was in 2021, when he was accused by the House of inciting the storming of the Capitol – seat of the US Congress – with a speech delivered on January 6 to supporters in front of the White House. This effort ultimately failed and Trump was once again acquitted.
Pelosi later worked with Biden to pass much of his legislative agenda through his chamber despite the razor-thin margins.
In less than two years, House Democrats pushed through a COVID relief bill, a bipartisan infrastructure spending package, a multitrillion-dollar environmental and social spending package, and legislation protecting same-sex marriage.
She was replaced as House Democratic leader by New York Rep. Hakeem Jeffries in 2022.
Since stepping down as president, she remains a major political influence. Most recently, she played a key role in helping pass Proposition 50 in California – a state redistricting effort aimed at yielding five House seats to Democrats in the 2026 midterms.
