Nancy Pelosi has announced her resignation from Congress, ending a decades-long career that has seen the California Democrat become one of the most powerful figures in US politics.
In a video message Thursday, Pelosi said she will not seek re-election to Congress when her term ends in January 2027.
It marks the end of a storied political career: Pelosi, 85, became the first woman to serve as House speaker and led her party in the lower house of Congress from 2003 to 2023.
“We made history, we made progress,” Pelosi said in her message.
“We have always led the way, and now we must continue to do so while remaining full participants in our democracy and fighting for the American ideals we hold dear.”
“Going forward, my message to the city I love is this: San Francisco, know your power,” Pelosi added.
Pelosi was first elected by her party as Speaker of the House of Representatives in 2007, becoming the first woman to hold the position. She served until 2011, when Democrats lost control of the lower house, and then returned to the speaker's chair from 2019 to 2023.
The Speaker of the House of Representatives is the only position in Congress detailed in the U.S. Constitution. After the vice president, he is next in line to the presidency.
In this role, Pelosi played a critical role in advancing (or derailing) the agendas of several presidents during her long career on Capitol Hill.
She is widely credited with orchestrating the passage of former President Barack Obama's signature health care law, as well as infrastructure and climate change bills under current President Joe Biden.
Pelosi also directly challenged Donald Trump throughout his presidency, tearing up a copy of her State of the Union address behind her back.
By then, she had also become a lightning rod for Republican anger—in their eyes, she represented coastal elites pushing a radical platform at great expense.
