Nancy Pelosi announced her retirement from Congress, ending a decades-long career in which the California Democrat became one of the most powerful figures in American politics.
In a video message Thursday, Pelosi said she will not seek re-election to Congress at the end of her term in January 2027.
It marks the end of a historic political career: Pelosi, 85, became the first woman to serve as speaker of the House and led her party in the lower house of Congress from 2003 to 2023.
“We have made history, we have made progress,” Pelosi said in her message.
“We have always led the way and now we must continue to do so by being full participants in our democracy and fighting for the American ideals we hold dear.”
“As we move forward, my message to the city I love is this: San Francisco, know your power,” Pelosi added.
Pelosi was first elected to Congress to represent San Francisco in 1987, at the age of 47, and quickly rose through the ranks.
She was elected President of the House by her party in 2007, becoming the first woman to hold that position. He served until 2011, when Democrats lost control of the House, before returning to the presidency from 2019 to 2023.
Speaker of the House is the only congressional position spelled out in the United States Constitution. After the vice president, he is the next in the presidency.
In that role, Pelosi played a key role in promoting – or thwarting – the agendas of multiple presidents during her long career on Capitol Hill.
He is widely credited with pushing through former President Barack Obama’s signature health care legislation, as well as bills to address infrastructure and climate change during Joe Biden’s presidency.
Pelosi also directly challenged Donald Trump during his presidency, tearing up a copy of his State of the Union address behind his back.
By then, she was also a lightning rod for Republican anger: in their eyes, she represented coastal elites pushing a big-spending radical platform.
He led two impeachment efforts against Trump: the first in 2019 over his dealings with Ukraine. Trump was accused of pressuring Ukraine to uncover damaging information about Biden and using military aid as leverage. He was later acquitted in the Republican-controlled Senate.
The second was in 2021, when he was accused by the House of inciting the assault on the Capitol – seat of the United States Congress – with a speech given on January 6 to his supporters in front of the White House. That effort ultimately failed and Trump was acquitted once again.
On Thursday, when asked about Pelosi’s retirement, Trump said she was “an evil woman.”
“I’m glad he’s retiring. I think he did the country a great service by retiring,” he told reporters in the Oval Office. “I think she was a tremendous burden on the country.”
After Trump’s first term, Pelosi worked with Biden to guide much of his legislative agenda through her chamber despite narrow margins.
In less than two years, House Democrats pushed through a Covid relief bill, a bipartisan infrastructure spending package, a multitrillion-dollar social and environmental spending program and legislation protecting gay marriage.
New York Rep. Hakeem Jeffries succeeded her as House Democratic leader in 2022.
Since leaving his presidency, he has remained an important political influence. Most recently, he played a key role in helping to pass Proposition 50 in California, a state redistricting effort aimed at transferring five House seats to Democrats during the 2026 midterm elections.
