Pelosi Announces Retirement from Congress

House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) will not seek reelection in 2026, marking an end to a decadeslong career that made her the first female speaker of the House.

The news comes after a few weeks of speculation that she may not seek a 21st term in the House after California state Sen. Scott Wiener launched a primary bid against the longtime congresswoman in late October.

In a roughly six minute clip posted to X titled “Thank you San Francisco,” Pelosi praised her constituents and said “we don’t fear the future, we forge it.” The video took the city through the decades and highlighted the city’s importance in history and natural disaster .

“For decades, I’ve cherished the privilege of representing our magnificent city in the United States Congress,” Pelosi said, showing clips from her first campaign with her first slogan, “A voice that will be heard.”

“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 — who’s voice would certainly be heard,” Pelosi said.

Pelosi said “with a grateful heart,” she looks forward to her final year of service, wrapping up a career that began with her first term in a 1987 special election. Considered one of the most powerful women in U.S. political history, she steadily rose through the ranks of the House Democratic Caucus after arriving on Capitol Hill and was elected House minority whip in 2001 and became House minority leader.

Wiener, 55, was likely to be Pelosi’s strongest primary challenger had she opted to stay in the race. He vowed for years that he would not run for Pelosi’s seat until the Democratic titan decided to step aside, but he opened a congressional committee two years ago and raised over $1 million as he waited to see what Pelosi would do.

In March, he had said he would wait to run until after Pelosi retired and it would “be an honor” to succeed her, per the New York Times. He officially launched his bid on Oct. 22, fueling speculation that he knew something most people didn’t: Pelosi would not seek another term.

His entrance into the race, as well as a bid from a former aide to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), was the latest in a long line of younger Democrats looking for generational change on Capitol Hill in the wake of the 2024 election. Several elder, establishment Democrats in the House are facing primary challenges, and a handful have opted to retire instead of facing a possible loss in the primary race.

California does not hold a traditional Democratic primary but holds a vote in which the top two candidates, regardless of party, advance to the general election. So it is possible that Wiener and former aide Saikat Chakrabarti could face each other. People have eyed Pelosi’s daughter, Christine, as a possible successor, as well.

Pelosi has sidestepped questions on her reelection plans, saying earlier this week that she would wait until after Election Day before making an announcement. In her home state of California, redistricting Proposition 50 passed, allowing the legislature to draw a new map targeting five vulnerable House Republicans to offset Texas gerrymandering that added five seats to its GOP delegation.

Her team appeared to brush off any chatter of her retirement ahead of time, with spokesperson Ian Krager saying any discussion on her political future is “pure speculation.” Three days later, his boss released her video telling San Fransisco residents she would retire.

“Thank you San Francisco, for trusting me to be your voice in Congress,” Pelosi said.

Tributes are already rolling in for Pelosi. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) said in a statement that Pelosi is an “iconic, heroic, trailblazing, legendary and transformational leader” and “House Democrats will always be down with NDP.”

“The United States is a much better nation today because Nancy Pelosi dedicated her life to serving the children, the climate, the country and the American people,” Jeffries said.

He added that she “fiercely navigated many trials and tribulations,” including the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol in which supporters of President Donald Trump threatened to kill her and an attack on her husband, Paul Pelosi, in October 2022.

Jeffries became heir apparent to Pelosi when she stepped down as House Democratic party leader after the 2022 midterms. The speaker emerita frequently praises the minority leader when asked by reporters how she thinks he is leading the Democratic caucus through things like budget reconciliation, spending deals, and the government shutdown.

“Personally, Speaker Pelosi has been an incredible mentor, trusted friend and awesome colleague who has profoundly blessed me with her insights, perspectives and leadership values,” Jeffries said.

But Jeffries’s and Pelosi’s working relationship was scrutinized during the turbulent time when Democrats en masse were calling on former President Joe Biden to retire. Pelosi later gave an interview where she said she thought Biden should have dropped out of the 2024 race sooner. Jeffries said late last year he had no issues with Pelosi and that it’s an “honor” to stand on her shoulders.

Republicans have said little about Pelosi’s career as speaker in the short time after she announced her retirement, but they have not hesitated to connect her to New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani — an interesting messaging tactic given his short time in the political arena so far compared to her years of service, but an expected one given the GOP has argued Mamdani is the future of the Democratic Party.

“Radical socialist Zohran Mamdani takes over the Democrat Party and even Nancy Pelosi has had enough,” National Republican Congressional Committee chairman Richard Hudson (R-NC) said in a statement.

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) said during his weekly press conference that Pelosi’s retirement is a “very important sign” that the old guard Democrats are being shuffled out the way to make room for progressives and socialists in the party.

“Even the famous San Francisco Liberal is not far left enough for the neo-Marxist,” Johnson said. “We commend her for her services — we all do, everyone who’s served in Congress. But there should be a lot written about that.”

Trump, whom Pelosi had a frigid if not ice-cold relationship with, did not mince words about his feels on her retirement, calling it a “great thing for America.”

“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,” he said in comments to Fox News. “I’m very honored she impeached me twice and failed miserably twice. Nancy Pelosi is a highly overrated politician.”