Former House Speaker Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., has announced that she will not seek reelection, bringing to a close her nearly four-decade career in the House. The move follows rumors earlier this week that she was “preparing to exit the stage,” according to NBC.
“I want you, my fellow San Franciscans, to be the first to know I will not be seeking re-election to Congress,” Pelosi said, addressing her constituents in a video posted on X. “With a grateful heart, I look forward to my final year of service as your proud representative as we go forward,” she said.
Pelosi praised her constituents in San Francisco for having “led the way,” encouraging them to be “full participants in our democracy and fighting for the American ideals we hold dear.”
Following the announcement, Congressional Democrats have offered words of praise to the departing Pelosi.
Rep. Don Beyer, D-Va., called Pelosi “more than a barrier breaker,” while Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., said she was the “greatest Speaker in American history.”
Thank you, San Francisco. pic.twitter.com/OP8ubeFzR6
— Nancy Pelosi (@TeamPelosi) November 6, 2025
Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., said Pelosi is “a trailblazer, a fierce fighter,” in a post on X. “Her service has changed America for the better,” Klobuchar wrote.
Since first coming to Capitol Hill in 1987, Pelosi has cemented a legacy of Democratic leadership. She was the first and only woman elected as Speaker of the House, first in 2007 and again in 2019, greatly influencing Democratic Party politics to be slightly-left-of-center. House Speaker Hakeem Jeffries, who took over from Pelosi, called her “the Greatest Speaker of All Time.”
Not at all were so kind to the Former House Speaker. President Donald Trump called her retirement, “a great thing for America,” in a text message to Fox News journalist Peter Doocy, who read out the president’s reaction on air, according to Newsweek.
“She was evil. Corrupt. And only focused on bad things for our country,” Trump reportedly said. “I’m very honored she impeached me twice and failed miserably.”
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