House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) will not seek reelection in 2026, marking an end to a decadeslong career that made her the first female speaker of the House.
The news comes after a few weeks of speculation that she may not seek a 21st term in the House after California state Sen. Scott Wiener launched a primary bid against the longtime congresswoman in late October.
In a roughly six minute clip posted to X titled “Thank you San Francisco,” Pelosi praised her constituents and said “we don’t fear the future, we forge it.” The video took the city through the decades and highlighted the city’s importance in history and natural disaster .
“For decades, I’ve cherished the privilege of representing our magnificent city in the United States Congress,” Pelosi said, showing clips from her first campaign with her first slogan, “A voice that will be heard.”
“It was the faith that you had placed in me, and the latitude that you have given me, that enabled me to shatter the marble ceiling and be the first woman speaker of the House — who’s voice would certainly be heard,” Pelosi said.
Pelosi said “with a grateful heart,” she looks forward to her final year of service, wrapping up a career that began with her first term in a 1987 special election. Considered one of the most powerful women in U.S. political history, she steadily rose through the ranks of the House Democratic Caucus after arriving on Capitol Hill and was elected House minority whip in 2001 and became House minority leader.
Wiener, 55, was likely to be Pelosi’s strongest primary challenger had she opted to stay in the race. He vowed for years that he would not run for Pelosi’s seat until the Democratic titan decided to step aside, but he opened a congressional committee two years ago and raised over $1 million as he waited to see what Pelosi would do.
In March, he had said he would wait to run until after Pelosi retired and it would “be an honor” to succeed her, per the New York Times. He officially launched his bid on Oct. 22, fueling speculation that he knew something most people didn’t: Pelosi would not seek another term.
His entrance into the race, as well as a bid from a former aide to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), was the latest in a long line of younger Democrats looking for generational change on Capitol Hill in the wake of the 2024 election. Several elder, establishment Democrats in the House are facing primary challenges, and a handful have opted to retire instead of facing a possible loss in the primary race.
California does not hold a traditional Democratic primary but holds a vote in which the top two candidates, regardless of party, advance to the general election. So it is possible that Wiener and former aide Saikat Chakrabarti could face each other. People have eyed Pelosi’s daughter, Christine, as a possible successor, as well.
Pelosi has sidestepped questions on her reelection plans, saying earlier this week that she would wait until after Election Day before making an announcement. In her home state of California, redistricting Proposition 50 passed, allowing the legislature to draw a new map targeting five vulnerable House Republicans to offset Texas gerrymandering that added five seats to its GOP delegation.
NEWSOM’S BIG PROPOSITION 50 WIN TURNS HIM TO LEADING 2028 WHITE HOUSE CONTENDER
Her team appeared to brush off any chatter of her retirement ahead of time, with spokesperson Ian Krager saying any discussion on her political future is “pure speculation.” Three days later, his boss released her video telling San Fransisco residents she would retire.
“Thank you San Francisco, for trusting me to be your voice in Congress,” Pelosi said.