Longtime U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) announced Wednesday that she does not intend to seek reelection in 2026.
"I have truly loved serving as your voice in Congress, and I have always honored the song of St. Francis, who would make me an instrument of thy peace, the anthem of our city. That is why I want you, my fellow San Franciscans, to be the first to know, I will not be seeking re-election to Congress. With a grateful heart, I look forward to my final year of service as your proud representative," Pelosi said in a video released by her office that spoke directly to her constituents.
Her decision to end her tenure opens a critical post representing California's heavily Democratic 11th District, which covers much of San Francisco. So far two Democrats are participating in the primary election for the district: California state Sen. Scott Wiener and Saikat Chakrabarti, a former tech executive who was also chief of staff for New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez from 2018 to 2019.
"Because of your trust, I was able to represent our city and our country around the world with patriotism and pride. I say to my colleagues in the House all the time, no matter what title they have bestowed upon me, Speaker, Leader, Whip, there has been no greater honor for me than to stand on the House floor and say, I speak for the people of San Francisco," she said.
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Pelosi will leave Congress having been a record-setting fixture in her party since 1987.
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She was the first woman to be elected Speaker of the House, a role she served from 2007 to 2011 and from 2019 to 2023. From 2003 to 2023, she was the first woman to lead a major party in Congress, and she is tied for the second-longest term as House party leader in the chamber's history.
Pelosi, now 85 years old, was a main opposition figure to President Donald Trump during his first term in office.
Her skills in legislative strategy and fundraising also made her a leading figure in the Democratic Party.
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Pelosi recently said she would not decide whether to run again until after the 2025 election, in which California voters approved Proposition 50, a ballot measure to redraw the state's congressional maps, which could give Democrats a new five-seat edge in the U.S. House.
In a recent interview with the San Francisco Examiner, Pelosi said she considered that measure a key step to regaining national control.
"That is everything to us," she said of Proposition 50. "This is the path to our winning the House."
In her video announcement, she touted Democratic accomplishments during her tenure, which included the Affordable Care Act and "Wall Street reform."
