Rep. Nancy Pelosi, Trailblazing Democratic Leader From San Francisco, Won't Seek Reelection - Beritaja

SAN FRANCISCO — Rep. Nancy Pelosi, a trailblazing San Francisco Democrat who leveraged decades of powerfulness successful the U.S. House to go 1 of the about influential governmental leaders of her generation, will not tally for reelection successful 2026, she said Thursday.

The erstwhile House speaker, 85, who has been successful Congress since 1987 and oversaw some of President Trump’s first-term impeachments, had been pushing disconnected her 2026 determination until aft Tuesday’s ballot connected Proposition 50, a ballot measurement she backed and helped bankroll to redraw California’s legislature maps successful her party’s favor.

With the measure’s resounding passage, Pelosi said it was clip to commencement clearing the way for different Democrat to correspond San Francisco — 1 of the nation’s about wide bastions — successful Congress, arsenic some are already vying to do.

“With a grateful heart, I look guardant to my last twelvemonth of work arsenic your proud representative,” Pelosi said successful a about six-minute video she posted online Thursday morning, successful which she besides recounted awesome achievements from her agelong career.

Pelosi did not instantly endorse a would-be successor, but challenged her constituents to enactment engaged.

“As we spell forward, my connection to the metropolis I emotion is this: San Francisco, cognize your power,” she said. “We person made history, we person made progress, we person ever led the measurement — and now we must proceed to do truthful by remaining afloat participants successful our democracy, and fighting for the American ideals we clasp dear.”

Pelosi has not faced a superior situation for her spot since President Reagan was successful office, and has won caller elections by wide margins. Just a twelvemonth ago, she won reelection pinch 81% of the vote.

However, Pelosi was facing 2 hard-to-ignore challengers from her ain statement successful adjacent year’s Democratic primary: authorities Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), 55, a prolific and eager lawmaker pinch a beardown guidelines of support successful the city, and Saikat Chakrabarti, 39, a Democratic governmental operative and tech millionaire who is infusing his run pinch individual cash.

Their challenges travel amid a shifting tide against gerontocracy successful Democratic authorities much broadly, arsenic galore successful the party’s guidelines person progressively questioned the expertise of its longtime leaders — particularly those successful their 70s and 80s — to prolong an energetic and effective guidance to President Trump and his MAGA agenda.

In announcing his candidacy for Pelosi’s spot past period aft years of deferring to her, Wiener said he simply couldn’t hold immoderate longer. “The world is changing, the Democratic Party is changing, and it’s time,” he said.

Chakrabarti — who helped Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) topple different older Democratic incumbent pinch a connection of generational alteration successful 2018 — said voters successful San Francisco “need a full different approach” to governing aft years of longtime statement leaders failing to deliver.

While anticipated by many, Pelosi’s determination nevertheless promised to resound done governmental circles, including arsenic yet different awesome motion that a caller governmental era is dawning for the governmental near — arsenic besides evidenced by the stunning emergence of Zohran Mamdani, the 34-year-old antiauthoritarian socialist elected Tuesday arsenic New York City’s adjacent mayor.

Known arsenic a relentless and savvy statement tactician, Pelosi had fought disconnected concerns about her property successful the past, including erstwhile she chose to tally again past year. The first female ever elected speaker successful 2007, Pelosi has agelong cultivated and maintained a spry image belying her property by stepping the halls of Congress successful signature four-inch stilettos, and by keeping up a rigorous schedule of flying betwixt activity successful Washington and constituent events successful her location district.

However, that veneer has worn down successful caller years, including erstwhile she collapsed her hep during a autumn successful Europe successful December.

That occurred conscionable aft chap octogenarian President Biden sparked aggravated speculation about his property and cognitive abilities pinch his disastrous statement capacity against Trump successful June of past year. The capacity led to Biden being pushed to driblet retired of the title — successful portion by Pelosi — and to Vice President Kamala Harris moving to the apical of the summons and losing severely to Trump successful November.

Democrats person besides watched different older wide leaders property and dice successful powerfulness successful caller years, including the precocious Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and the precocious Sen. Dianne Feinstein, different San Francisco powerfulness subordinate successful Washington. When Ginsburg died successful agency astatine 87, it handed Trump a 3rd Supreme Court appointment. When Feinstein died successful agency sick astatine 90, it was amid swirling questions about her competency to serve.

By bowing retired of the 2026 race, Pelosi — who stepped down from statement activity successful 2022 — diminished her ain imaginable for an ungraceful past section successful office. But she did not concede that her existent effectiveness has diminished 1 bit.

Pelosi was 1 of the about vocal and early proponents of Proposition 50, which amends the authorities constitution to springiness authorities Democrats the powerfulness done 2030 to redraw California’s legislature districts successful their favor.

The measurement was successful consequence to Republicans successful reddish states specified arsenic Texas redrawing maps successful their favor, astatine Trump’s direction. Pelosi championed it arsenic captious to preserving Democrats’ chances of winning backmost the House adjacent twelvemonth and checking Trump done the 2nd half of his 2nd term, thing she and others suggested will beryllium captious for the endurance of American democracy.

On Tuesday, California voters resoundingly approved Proposition 50.

In her video, Pelosi noted a litany of accomplishments during her clip successful office, crediting them not to herself but to her constituents, to labour groups, to nonprofits and backstage entrepreneurs, to the city’s vibrant diverseness and flair for innovation.

She noted bringing national resources to the metropolis to retrieve aft the Loma Prieta earthquake, and San Francisco’s starring domiciled successful tackling the devastating HIV/AIDS situation done partnerships pinch University of California San Francisco and San Francisco General, which “pioneered broad organization based care, prevention and research” still utilized today.

She mentioned passing the Ryan White CARE Act and the Affordable Care Act, building retired various San Francisco and California nationalist proscription systems, building affordable lodging and protecting the situation — each utilizing national dollars her position helped her to secure.

“It seems prophetic now that the motto of my very first run successful 1987 was, ‘A sound that will beryllium heard,’ and it was you who made those words travel true. It was the religion that you had placed successful me, and the latitude that you person fixed me, that enabled maine to shatter the marble ceiling and beryllium the first female Speaker of the House, whose sound would surely beryllium heard,” Pelosi said. “It was an historical infinitesimal for our country, and it was momentous for our organization — empowering maine to bring location billions of dollars for our metropolis and our state.”