Nancy Pelosi will not seek reelection to House Democratic leadership
Nancy Pelosi Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi delivers remarks to the press before her meeting with Israeli President Isaac Herzog at the U.S. Capitol on Oct. 25, 2022 in Washington. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images, File)
By Theresa Seiger, Cox Media Group National Content Desk
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Thursday announced that she does not plan to run for reelection as leader of the Democrats in the House of Representatives.
“With great confidence in our caucus, I will not seek reelection to democratic leadership in the next Congress,” she said while speaking on the House floor. “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 said she will continue to represent California’s 12th congressional district in the House.
It was not immediately clear who would run to replace Pelosi. Unidentified sources told Politico earlier this week that Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., would not be running for a leadership post, and Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md., said the same in a letter to colleagues, The New York Times reported.
Pelosi’s announcement came one day after Republicans won enough seats to seize control of the House. On Tuesday, House Republicans voted to nominate Kevin McCarthy as House speaker.
Pelosi, the first woman to serve as speaker of the House, has led the Democrats since 2003. She is the longest-serving House leader and pledged in 2018 to serve in the role for only four more years, The Washington Post reported.
She was undecided about whether to run to hold her position as recently as Wednesday night. Citing unidentified sources, CNN reported that she took home two versions of her planned floor speech to review.
In a statement Wednesday, Pelosi praised Democrats for their performance in the midterm elections but did not mention her future plans.
“This year, House Democrats defied expectations with an excellent performance: running their races with courage, optimism and determination,” she said. “In the next Congress, House Democrats will continue to play a leading role in supporting President Biden’s agenda – with strong leverage over a scant Republican majority.”
Several races remained too close to call on Thursday, though The Associated Press reported that the Republicans were “on track to cobble together what could be the party’s narrowest majority of the 21st century.”
White House officials said President Joe Biden spoke Thursday with Pelosi. In a statement, he said she would be remembered as “the most consequential Speaker of the House of Representatives in our history.”
“There are countless examples of how she embodies the obligation of elected officials to uphold their oath to God and country to ensure our democracy delivers and remains a beacon to the world,” he said. “In everything she does, she reflects a dignity in her actions and a dignity she sees in the lives of the people of this nation.”
House Minority Whip Steve Scalise and a small group of other Republicans were on the House floor when Pelosi made her announcement Thursday, CNN reported. He stood alongside them and clapped for her, according to the news station.
“Godspeed, Speaker Pelosi,” Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., said in remarks on the floor before Pelosi’s comments, The Washington Post reported.
Through the years 1980: Nancy Patricia Pelosi (born 1940) American politician serving as Speaker of the United States House of Representatives since 2019, and previously from 2007 to 2011. She has served as a U.S. representative from California since 1987. A member of the Democratic Party, Pelosi is the only woman in U.S. history to serve as speaker of the House. (Photo by: Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty Images) (Universal History Archive/Universal History Archive/Univer)
Through the years 1990: Representative Nancy Pelosi, D-California, speaks during a news conference after the House of Representatives voted to overrride the presidential veto legislation that guards against sending Chinese scholars home to face possible political persecution. Representative Pelosi chiefly sponsored the bill. (Photo by Bettmann Archive/Getty Images) (Bettmann/Bettmann Archive)
Through the years WASHINGTON, D.C. 1998 : US musician David Crosby (L) speaks with US Representative Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) during a rally of Tibet supporters 15 June at the US Capitol in Washington, DC. Tibetan-Americans along with hundreds of supporters rallied to protest China's policy toward Tibet. AFP Photo Tim SLOAN (Photo credit should read TIM SLOAN/AFP via Getty Images) (TIM SLOAN/AFP via Getty Images)
Through the years UNITED STATES - OCTOBER 10, 2001: Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) holds a symbol of her office as she stands with Minority Leader Dick Gephardt (D-Mo.) after she was elected House whip in Washington today. (Photo by Harry Hamburg/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images) (New York Daily News Archive/NY Daily News via Getty Images)
Through the years Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) speaks after being sworn in as the House Democratic Whip at the Statuary Hall of the Capitol February 06, 2002 in Washington, DC. Pelosi became the highest-ranking woman ever in the U.S. Congress. (Photo by Manny Ceneta/Getty Images) (Manny Ceneta/Getty Images)
Through the years WASHINGTON - JANUARY 04: Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) holds up the Speaker's gavel after being elected as the first woman Speaker during a swearing in ceremony for the 110th Congress in the House Chamber of the U.S. Capitol January 4, 2007 in Washington, DC. Pelosi will lead House Democrats as the Democratic Party takes control of both houses of Congress. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Through the years WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 21: U.S. House Minority Leader Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) listens during a news conference April 21, 2016 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. Congressional Democrats held a news conference to call for a raise in the federal minimum wage. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images) (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Through the years WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 5: Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Vice President Mike Pence applaud U.S. President Donald Trump at the State of the Union address in the chamber of the U.S. House of Representatives at the U.S. Capitol Building on February 5, 2019 in Washington, DC. President Trump's second State of the Union address was postponed one week due to the partial government shutdown. (Photo by Doug Mills-Pool/Getty Images) (Doug Mills/Getty Images)
Through the years WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 30: Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) (L) and Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-NY) lead fellow Congressional Democrats out of the White House following a meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House April 30, 2019 in Washington, DC. The Democratic leaders met with Trump to discuss infrastructure. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Through the years WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 16: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) looks on during a news conference discussing H.R. 3, the Lower Drug Costs Now Act, on Capitol Hill on October 16, 2019 in Washington, DC. The bill aims to end the ban on Medicare negotiating directly with drug companies, and reinvest in innovation medical treatment. (Photo by Zach Gibson/Getty Images) (Zach Gibson/Getty Images)
Through the years WASHINGTON, DC - DECEMBER 18: Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) presides over Resolution 755 as the House of Representatives votes on the second article of impeachment of US President Donald Trump at in the House Chamber at the US Capitol Building on December 18, 2019 in Washington, DC. The U.S. House of Representatives voted to successfully pass two articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Through the years WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 08, 2020: (L-R) Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ), Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-NY), Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA), Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Rep. Karen Bass (D-CA) and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) join fellow Democrats from the House and Senate kneel in silence for eight minutes and 46 seconds to honor George Floyd in the U.S. Capitol Visitors Center June 08, 2020 in Washington, DC. Democrats are introducing new legislation to end excessive use of force by police across the country and make it easier to identify, track, and prosecute police misconduct following the recent deaths of unarmed African-Americans in police custody, including George Floyd, and the nationwide demonstrations demanding an overhaul of law enforcement. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Through the years WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 03: Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) waves a gavel during the first session of the 117th Congress in the House Chamber at the US Capitol on January 03, 2021 in Washington, DC. Both chambers are holding rare Sunday sessions to open the new Congress on January 3, as the Constitution requires. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images) (Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)
Through the years KYIV, UKRAINE - APRIL 30: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky presents the Order of Princess Olga, a Ukrainian civil decoration, to U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi during a visit by a U.S. congressional delegation on April 30, 2022 in Kyiv, Ukraine. The US Speaker of the House led a congressional delegation, which on a secret meeting with the Ukrainian president that was announced the next day, as they left the country for nearby Poland. (Photo by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office/Handout via Getty Images) (Handout/Getty Images)
Through the years WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 29: Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) reacts after signing the CHIPS For America Act during a bill enrollment ceremony outside the U.S. Capitol July 29, 2022 in Washington, DC. The bill, which has now passed in both houses of Congress, is aimed at boosting U.S semiconductor manufacturing and science research to better compete with China. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images) (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)