Nancy Pelosi Confirms She Will Step Down From Congress

Nancy Pelosi( D- California) said Thursday that she'll not run for reelection coming time, formally closing the book on a congressional career that began in the late 1980s. Pelosi came the first woman to lead the House as Speaker during her time in Washington and is one of the most important leaders the chamber has ever produced.

Pelosi, who has served as Speaker Emerita, has long been hailed as a trailblazing figure in Democratic politics. But on Thursday she said that she will step down at the end of 2026 rather than seek her 21st term in office.

The 85-year-old lawmaker, who has represented San Francisco since 1987, made the announcement in a nearly six-minute video tribute to her district — part memoir and part love letter to the city she has long called home.

“I have always been guided by the prayer of St. Francis — ‘Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace,’ which echoes throughout our city,” Pelosi says toward the end of the video. “And so, to my fellow San Franciscans, I want you to hear it from me first: I will not be running for re-election to Congress.”

The video was punctuated by sweeping shots of San Francisco and flashes of some of her signature achievements in Washington — from guiding the Affordable Care Act to passage under President Obama to marshaling support for President Biden’s major infrastructure and climate bill.

Pelosi’s legacy in Congress was also defined by her strategic discipline, mastery of legislative negotiation and an ironclad ability to keep her caucus united. She was known for shepherding infighting within the party, whether by pushing back against pressure from the progressive “Squad” in 2018 or, later, by playing a crucial behind-the-scenes role in nudging Biden to drop out of the 2024 presidential race.