Nancy Pelosi announces she will step down from House Democratic leadership after 2 decades in the top post
DENIS LOVROVIC/AFP via Getty Images
- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced that she is stepping aside from her leadership role.
- The decision comes after Republicans narrowly won the House majority.
- Pelosi previously pledged in 2018 to stay on as her party's leader for four more years.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Thursday announced that she will step aside from her leadership role after nearly two decades, capping a historic career as the Democratic Party's longest-serving House leader.
"I will not seek reelection to Democratic leadership in the next Congress," Pelosi, who will remain a member of Congress, said in remarks from the House floor to a packed chamber of Democratic lawmakers. "For me, the hour has come for a new generation to lead the Democratic caucus that I so deeply respect."
The decision comes in the wake of Republicans narrowly winning the House majority, ending Pelosi's latest two consecutive terms as Speaker. She previously held the gavel from 2007 to 2011, making history as the first woman to do so.
"This is the most beautiful building in the world because of what it represents," Pelosi opened her speech, calling the Capitol a "temple of our democracy, of our Constitution, of our highest ideals." She was met with multiple standing ovations from Democrats in attendance throughout her address.
Pelosi mentioned the long arc of her remarkable career in politics, which began when she was a homemaker raising five children.
"Never had I thought that someday I would go from homemaker to House Speaker," said the California Democrat, first elected in 1987. "In fact, I never intended to run for public office."
Speculation about Pelosi's political future intensified after Democrats performed better than expected in the midterm elections, crushing GOP hopes of a red wave. With Pelosi at the helm and having just won her reelection, she appeared well-positioned to remain in the top post, not to mention the slew of legislative victories the party pulled off since President Joe Biden took office. Questions surfaced about whether Pelosi would stay on as party leader or stick to her 2018 pledge to serve for just four more years.
"Last week, the American people spoke and their voices were raised in defense of liberty, of the rule of law, and of democracy itself," Pelosi said during her speech on Thursday. "With these elections, the people stood in the breach and repelled the assault on democracy. They resoundingly rejected violence."
At the same time, some Democrats have been anxiously waiting for the current leadership to pave the way for a younger generation to steer the caucus. At 82, Pelosi has long served alongside House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, 83, and House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn, 82, in leadership.
After Pelosi's announced exit, her two octogenarian colleagues quickly followed suit, marking the end of an era. Hoyer declared in a statement that he intends to continue his "service in a different role." Clyburn expects to seek an assistant leadership post, according to reporting from Punchbowl News and Politico.
"I look forward to her continued service," Clyburn said of Pelosi in a statement, "and doing whatever I can to assist our new generation of Democratic Leaders."
The lawmakers likely to succeed the trio are Reps. Hakeem Jeffries of New York, 52, as minority leader, Katherine Clark of Massachusetts, 59, as whip, and Pete Aguilar of California, 43, as caucus chair. Leadership elections are slated for the end of the month.
Pelosi's decision to step back also comes as President Joe Biden turns 80 years old on Sunday. Over the past two years, Pelosi spearheaded the president's key policy proposals, including the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill, the bipartisan infrastructure law, and the sweeping health care and climate package known as the Inflation Reduction Act.
Under her previous leadership during President Barack Obama's tenure, Pelosi advanced a number of his landmark bills, including the Affordable Care Act, the Dodd–Frank Act, and a stimulus package in response to the 2008 recession.
Thursday's news also comes as Pelosi's husband, Paul, is still recovering after being violently attacked in late October at the couple's San Francisco home — a traumatizing event the Speaker said would impact her decision. The assailant, 42-year-old David DePape, has pleaded not guilty to charges of attempted kidnapping and assault of a federal official's immediate family member.
As she wrapped up her emotional speech, Pelosi thanked her colleagues for their well wishes for her husband's recovery. Democratic lawmakers gave her a long standing ovation and quickly lined up to embrace and hug the speaker.
This story has been updated with news on Hoyer and Clyburn.
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