California Rep. Nancy Pelosi announced she will not seek reelection on Thursday morning, ending her longtime reign as one of the most powerful Democrats in Congress.
The 85-year old former House Speaker announced her retirement after serving a San Francisco district since 1987. Pelosi’s decision to not seek reelection comes as she is facing two serious primary challengers from Democrats who are decades younger.
“With a grateful heart, I look forward to my final year of service as your proud representative,” Pelosi said in a videoaddressed to her constituents in a roughly six-minute video posted to social media. “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.”
Pelosi served as Speaker of the House for eight years total during both the Obama years and the first Trump administration, where she emerged as the president’s chief antagonist.
She notably ripped up her copy of Trump’s State of the Union speech in 2020 after he finished delivering his address. She also presided over the House impeaching Trump twice during his first term.
Pelosi has amped up her vitriol toward the president in recent weeks, calling Trump “a vile creature” and “the worst thing on the face of the earth” during an interview with CNN.
Trump has repeatedly hit back at Pelosi, often referring to her as “Crazy Nancy” in their decade-long feud.
Pelosi’s retirement announcement comes after following Tuesday’s elections which saw the overwhelming passage of a partisan gerrymander in California that she supported. Pelosi, a longtime top fundraiser, was reportedly heavily involved in raising large sums of money in support of the effort that will make it easier for Democrats to retake the House during the midterm elections.
The former House Speaker’s decision not to run in 2026 comes amid the Democrats’ ongoing identity crisis over generational change in the party. Pelosi was reportedly instrumental in persuading former President Joe Biden to suspend his presidential reelection bid after his disastrous debate performance.
Pelosi would have also faced two serious primary challenges from younger opponents if she had not decided to step down once her term ends in 2027.
Democratic California state senator Scott Wiener and Saikat Chakrabarti, a wealthy former chief of staff to New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, are vying for her seat.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who succeeded Pelosi as the top House Democrat, demurred when asked to comment on her possible retirement on Monday.
“Ultimately, we will wait on her to see what decision that she makes, and there’s nothing really more to say beyond that,” Jeffries told a group of reporters.
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