Nancy Pelosi Announces She Won’t Seek Re-Election To Congress, Ending Trailblazing Career

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has announced her retirement, saying she will not seek re-election to Congress when her term ends in January 2027.

Democrat Pelosi, 85, was the first woman to serve as Speaker of the House and has represented San Francisco for nearly four decades.

She made the announcement in a nearly six-minute video dedicated to the city on X, in which she thanked locals for their support and detailed her love for San Francisco.

“For decades I’ve cherished the privilege of representing our magnificent city in the U.S. Congress,” Pelosi said, as she discussed her illustrious career in a video montage.

Throughout the clip, she spoke of shattering the “marble ceiling” and becoming the first woman Speaker of the House, recalling it as a historic moment for the country.

“We can be proud of what we have accomplished, but there is always much more work to be done,” Pelosi said.

“I will not be seeking reelection to Congress,” she added. “With a grateful heart, I look forward to my final year of service as your proud representative.”

“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.”

Pelosi, who was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2024, entered elective politics later in life as the mother of five grown children at the age of 47.

After years of party activism and fundraising, she won a special election in 1987 to fill the seat of the late Rep. Sala Burton, becoming the representative for the 11th Congressional District of California.

With her term not up until 2027, it is a position she has held for 40 years.

Pelosi first served as House Speaker from 2007 to 2011 and again from 2019 to 2023, making her one of the longest-serving party leaders in House history.

During her first term as speaker, she helped steer through some of the most significant legislation of the 21st century, including the Affordable Care Act, the Dodd-Frank financial reforms, and the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, which allowed gay and lesbian Americans to serve openly in the military.

She also shepherded President Barack Obama’s $787 billion economic stimulus package through Congress during the Great Recession.

Her second term as House Speaker came under both President Donald Trump and former President Joe Biden.

She presided over two impeachments of Trump and helped advance landmark Biden-era bills that focused on pandemic recovery, domestic manufacturing, and climate change.

Beyond her legislative victories, Pelosi became known as one of the most formidable political tacticians and fundraisers in modern American politics.

Over the course of her career, she fundraised an estimated $1 billion for the Democratic Party.

Her decision to retire from politics comes two years after her husband was gravely injured before the last midterm elections in October 2022.

Paul Pelosi was brutally attacked inside their home by an intruder who had been searching for the congresswoman.

The assault left him with a fractured skull and serious injuries, and Pelosi later said she felt profound guilt knowing she had been the intended target.

Last year, Pelosi also underwent successful hip replacement surgery after a fall during a trip to Europe. She recuperated at a U.S. military hospital in Germany before returning to California.

As she prepares to leave Congress, Pelosi’s departure marks the close of one of the most consequential careers in American political history.