The first female Speaker of the House served in congress for 40 years and will finally call it quits in January 2027.
Nancy Pelosi announced Wednesday morning that her 20th term in congress will be her final. Pelosi, 85, was due to announce her decision whether or not to run for a 21st term this week and ended months of speculation about her political future. Pelosi served two terms as House Speaker, first under Presidents Bush and Obama from 2007 until 2011, and again under Presidents Trump and Biden from 2019 until 2023. She stepped down from party leadership in early 2023.
“There has been no greater honor for me than to stand on the House floor and say, ‘I speak for the people of San Francisco.’ I have truly loved serving as your voice in Congress, and I’ve always honored the soul of Saint Francisco — ‘Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace.’ The anthem of our city,” Pelosi said in a voiceover of a nearly 6-minute-long video. “I will not be seeking reelection to Congress. With a grateful heart, I look forward to my final year of service as your proud representative.”
Pelosi is reportedly a controversial figure, earning praise from colleagues in the Democratic party, but also frequently the target of her political adversaries. She was a vocal critic of President Trump early in his first term, trading barbs with the President and offering him sarcastic applause after his first State of the Union in a photo that went viral. She was close friends with President Joe Biden, but their relationship soured after Pelosi served as an early voice from the left calling on Biden to not seek reelection. Most recently, she served a pivotal role in California Democrats passing Proposition 50, the state’s newest redistricting bill.
Pelosi’s retirement earned tributes from many of her colleagues, mostly from her own party. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, who succeeded her in party leadership, called her a “heroic, legendary and trailblazing icon” and called her “the greatest House Speaker of all time.” Gov. Newsom, a longtime family friend, said Pelosi will leave “an impact on this nation that is completely unmatched.” Longtime adversary Sen. Mitch McConnell congratulated Pelosi on a “historic tenure” and wished her well in her retirement.
President Trump sarcastically celebrated Pelosi’s retirement as well, calling his foe “evil and corrupt” and calling her announcement a “great thing for America.” Pelosi and Trump’s feud go back several years, when Pelosi was an instrumental voice from Democrats in the Russia collusion conspiracy theory, as well as two impeachment efforts in 2019 and 2021. As House Speaker, she launched numerous committee investigations into Trump and pushed for his arrest after January 6th. She further made headlines for calling the President a “sick creature” and the “most vile thing on the face of this earth.”
Pelosi, whose husband Paul was an early Venture Capital investor in Silicon Valley, has also dealt with questions about her net worth and asset investments for decades. Since her first term in 1987, Pelosi’s personal net worth has spiked by over $100 million. She faced repeated allegations of insider trading, including as recently as this summer after she and her husband’s stock portfolio significantly outperformed investment guru Warren Buffett’s at Berkshire Hathaway. Paul was the victim of a politically charged assault, with the suspect breaking into the family home in the middle of the night to kidnap Pelosi, who was out of town at the time.
