Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced Thursday that she will retire from Congress after the end of 2026, concluding 20 terms in office.
“I have truly loved serving as your voice in Congress,” the California Democrat, 85, said in a video to her San Francisco constituents. “With a grateful heart, I look forward to my final year of service as your proud representative.”
The announcement confirms speculation that Mrs. Pelosi would not seek reelection after Tuesday’s election, closing four decades in Congress.
Mrs. Pelosi had deflected questions about her political future, instead focusing on passing Proposition 50, the redistricting ballot measure in California. Voters overwhelmingly approved the state’s new congressional map Tuesday.
Mrs. Pelosi has served in Congress since 1987 and made history as the only female speaker of the House.
Two Democrats have entered the primary in Mrs. Pelosi’s district: state Sen. Scott Wiener and Saikat Chakrabarti, former chief of staff to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, New York Democrat.
Another possibility is Mrs. Pelosi’s daughter, Christine Pelosi, who has been involved in the Democratic Party for decades but has not officially declared her candidacy.
Mrs. Pelosi’s term in Congress ends on Jan. 3, 2027.
As a longtime leader of the Democratic Party, she was speaker during four presidential administrations, passed landmark bills, such as the Affordable Care Act, and cemented herself as a formidable fundraiser, collecting more than $1 billion.
Never a fan of President Trump, she led two presidential impeachments against him, created the bipartisan select committee to investigate the Jan. 6, 2021, protest at the U.S. Capitol and recently called him “the worst thing on the face of the Earth.” Her antagonism toward the president led him to dub her “Crazy Nancy.”
Their head-butting included Mrs. Pelosi ripping a copy of Mr. Trump’s 2020 State of the Union address on the House dais.
White House correspondent Peter Doocy said the president told him: “The retirement of Nancy Pelosi is a great thing for America. I’m very honored she impeached me twice and failed miserably twice. Nancy Pelosi is a highly overrated politician.”
Debates within the Democratic Party over generational leadership have echoed across Washington to welcome new Democratic faces.
Mrs. Pelosi did not seek reelection to Democratic leadership in 2024 to make way for a “new generation to lead the Democratic caucus,” she said at the time. Instead, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, New York Democrat, was elected House minority leader.
Mr. Jeffries described Mrs. Pelosi as “the greatest Speaker of all time.”
“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,” he said on social media.
She also played a formidable role in President Biden’s decision to quit the 2024 race.
Her next steps are uncertain.
“As we go forward, my message to the city I love is this: San Francisco, know your power. We have made history. We have made progress. 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,” she concluded in her video.
