U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Emeritus Nancy Pelosi appeared on stage during the 2025 Concordia Annual Summit at the Sheraton New York Times Square on September 23, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Riccardo Savi/Getty Images for Concordia Annual Summit)
WASHINGTON – U.S. House Speaker Emeritus Nancy Pelosi, who made history as the first woman to hold the gavel, announced her resignation Thursday, ending a 40-year legislative career as one of the most powerful Democrats in Congress.
Their announcement came after Tuesday’s election. Pelosi helped draft the so-called Proposition 50 in California, which aimed to redraw the state’s congressional districts in response to Republican redistricting efforts in Texas to gain more GOP seats in the House.
The redistricting passed, and the Democrats won major state races across the country, including the governor’s offices in Virginia and New Jersey.
In a video posted on social media, Pelosi, 85, thanked her constituents in her congressional district in San Francisco.
“I will not seek re-election to Congress,” Pelosi said. “It is with a grateful heart that I look forward to my final year of service as your proud representative.”
There were numerous tributes to Pelosi throughout the day.
“Yes, she made history as the first female speaker of the House, but in that moment she also changed the way we understand political power,” said Debbie Walsh, director of the Center for American Women and Politics, a unit of the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers State University of New Jersey. “She made the imaginary become reality and permanently pushed the boundaries of what was possible for young people who knew no other world.”
