Nancy Pelosi Announces Her Retirement After Nearly 40 Years in Congress

Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi will not seek re-election to the U.S. House, bringing to a close her career where she served as the first woman in the speaker’s office.

Pelosi, who has represented San Francisco for nearly 40 years, announced her decision Thursday.

“I will not be seeking re-election to Congress,” Pelosi said in a video address to voters.

Pelosi said she would finish out her final year in office.

“My message to the city I love is this: San Francisco, know your power,” she said. “We have made history. We have made progress. We have always led the way.”

Pelosi added, “And now we must continue to do so by remaining full participants in our democracy and fighting for the American ideals we hold dear.”

The decision was not fully unexpected and continues a trend of a seasoned generation of political leaders stepping aside ahead of next year’s midterm elections.

Pelosi remains a political powerhouse in the Democratic Party and played a pivotal role with California’s redistricting effort.

Pelosi, who’s 85, came to politics later in life. But after Pelosi helped orchestrate Joe Biden’s withdrawal from the 2024 presidential race, she has decided to pass the torch, too.

Last year, she experienced a fall resulting in a hip fracture during a whirlwind congressional visit to allies in Europe.

The Western Journal has reviewed this Associated Press story and may have altered it prior to publication to ensure that it meets our editorial standards.

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