In 2007, Pelosi was elected the first female speaker of the House. She has been in Congress for 39 years.
Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) announced on Nov. 6 she will retire from Congress at the end of her current term on Jan. 3, 2027.
In a post on X, the former speaker said she will not seek a 21st term.
Thank you, San Francisco. pic.twitter.com/OP8ubeFzR6
— Nancy Pelosi (@TeamPelosi) November 6, 2025
“With a grateful heart, I look forward to my final year of service as your proud representative. As we go forward, my message to the city I love is this: San Francisco, know your power,” she said.
“We have made history. We have made progress. We have always led the way, and now we must continue to do so by remaining full participants in our Democracy and fighting for the American ideals we hold dear.”
Pelosi was first elected to Congress in 1987. In 2003, she was elected the first female House minority leader.
As an advocate for the gay community during the AIDS epidemic, she introduced the Ryan White CARE Act, which gave funding for treatment and resources for those with HIV and AIDS.
She voted against the Iraq War.
In 2007, Pelosi was elected the first female speaker of the House.
“This is a historic moment—for the Congress, and for the women of this country. It is a moment for which we have waited more than 200 years. Never losing faith, we waited through the many years of struggle to achieve our rights,” Pelosi said in her speech while accepting the gavel.
“For our daughters and granddaughters, today, we have broken the marble ceiling. For our daughters and our granddaughters, the sky is the limit, anything is possible for them.”
Pelosi regained the position after the Democrats took back control of the House after the 2018 midterms. She is the only woman to have held the position.
During her tenure as speaker, she helped Congress pass the Affordable Care Act and stimulus bills. She retired from House Democrat leadership in 2023 after the Republicans took back the House after the 2022 midterms.
“I will not seek reelection to Democratic leadership in the next Congress,” Pelosi said on the House floor.
“For me, the hour has come for a new generation to lead the Democratic caucus that I so deeply respect.”
