Nancy Pelosi, the first woman in Speaker's office, to stand down after 40 years in US Congress

Nancy Pelosi, the first woman in the Speaker’s office, has announced her retirement from American politics after a nearly 40-year career.

The 85-year-old, who has represented San Francisco for nearly 40 years, revealed her decision two days after Californian voters overwhelmingly approved “Proposition 50”, a state redistricting effort aimed at flipping five House seats to Democrats in the midterm elections next year.

“I will not be seeking reelection to Congress,” Pelosi said in a video address to voters.

“With a grateful heart, I look forward to my final year of service as your proud representative.

“My message to the city I love is this: San Francisco, know your power,” she said. “We have made history. We have made progress. We have always led the way.”

“And now we must continue to do so by remaining full participants in our democracy and fighting for the American ideals we hold dear.”

She served as the 52nd Speaker of the House of Representatives from 2007 to 2011, and again from 2019 to 2023, and was the first woman elected to the role.

She was also the first woman to lead a major political party in either chamber of Congress, heading the House Democrats from 2003 to 2023.

During her second tenure as Speaker, the House twice impeached Donald Trump – in December 2019, and January 2021 – though the Senate acquitted him both times.

End of an era

Nancy Pelosi was a central figure during two of the most turbulent political periods – the Trump presidency and President Biden’s departure from the 2024 election.

During the Trump era, she emerged as the Democratic Party’s most visible counterweight to the administration.

She led the House through two impeachments and became was prime target for those who stormed the Capitol Building on January 6th 2021.

In 2024, her behind-the-scenes influence was decisive as Democrats confronted Joe Biden’s declining political position.

While careful in her public statements, her subtle signalling to leaders and donors accelerated his departure from the race.

From a wider perspective, her retirement marks the end of one of the most influential congressional careers in modern US politics.

As the first woman Speaker of the House, she shaped legislative priorities for two decades and her departure signals a generational shift within the Democratic Party.

An architect of the Affordable Care Act, Mrs Pelosi also been credited with quietly persuading Joe Biden to withdraw from the 2024 presidential race.

First elected in 1987, she came into politics later in life, and has long resisted calls to step aside, turning questions about her future into spirited rebuttals.

But she’s faced new challenges in recent years and her decision to step down is not fully unexpected.

Last year she fractured her hip when she fell during a European trip, and was rushed to a military hospital for surgery.

And in 2022, her husband Paul Pelosi was gravely injured by a home intruder who beat him over the head with a hammer and demanded to know “Where is Nancy?”

Nonetheless, she’s maintained a rigorous political schedule of public events and party fundraisers.

Now eyes will turn to the question of her successor, both at home in San Francisco, and in the US Congress where she plays a behind-the-scenes leadership role.

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She’s already faced a potential primary challenge from Saikat Chakrabarti, a left-wing newcomer who played a part in the rise of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, another rising star in the progressive firmament.

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