Nancy Pelosi, the first and only female speaker of the US House of Representatives, has announced she will not seek reelection after 40 years in the House. She is one of the most powerful figures in Democratic politics and has served for decades
Announcing her decision, she said, “I say to my colleagues in the House all of the time, no matter what title they had bestowed upon me – speaker, leader, whip,
‘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. I have always honored the song of St. Francis, ‘Lord make an instrument of thy peace,’ the anthem of our city.
“That is why I want you, my fellow San Franciscans, to be the first to know. I will not be seeking reelection to Congress,” Pelosi, 85, said Thursday in a video message.
“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, made progress. We have always led the way. 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.
Pelosi was first elected to Congress in 1987, and made history as the House’s first-ever female speaker in 2007. She remains the only woman to have yielded the gavel, which she earned after the 2006 and 2018 elections.
