House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announces she is stepping down

Nancy Pelosi’s long reign as House speaker is coming to an end after more than two decades as the top Democrat. On Thursday (Nov. 17), she announced she would not be seeking reelection for the role that has made her a pillar in politics.

“With great confidence in our caucus, I will not seek reelection to Democratic leadership in the next Congress,” said Nancy in a speech. Instead, she said she was making room for a younger class of change-makers to take the helm. “For me, the hour has come for a new generation to lead the Democratic caucus that I so deeply respect, and I’m grateful that so many are ready and willing to shoulder this awesome responsibility,” she added.

The no-holds-barred leader noted, “There is no greater special honor for me than to stand on this floor and to speak for the people of San Francisco. This I will continue to do as a member of the House, speaking for the people of San Francisco, serving the great state of California, and defending our Constitution.” While she is not leaving Congress, she does intend to mentor younger politicians.

The 82-year-old Californian shattered a political glass ceiling when she became the first woman elected speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives in 2007. She held the position until 2011 when Democrats lost control of the House. She was succeeded by Republican politicians John Boehner and Paul Ryan until she was reelected in 2019.

Many questioned her future following the results of the midterm elections, which saw Democrats lose the House majority. As previously reported by REVOLT, the veteran political figure recently made headlines after reports that her husband, Paul Pelosi, was attacked at their San Francisco home.

Earlier this month, when Nancy publicly spoke about the incident, she revealed that she was the intended target of the home invasion. She declared, “Paul was not the target, and he’s the one who is paying the price. He was not looking for Paul. He was looking for me.”

View Nancy Pelosi make her big announcement below.