Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announces retirement

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(The Center Square) – After serving in Congress for nearly 40 years, the California Democrat and former House Speaker, Rep. Nancy Pelosi announced her plan to retire at the end of her term.

Pelosi, 85, made the announcement Thursday morning on video that she has decided not to seek reelection. The congresswoman took office in 1987 and served as the first and only female Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Pelosi served as House speaker for a total of eight years, between 2007 and 2011, and again from 2019 to 2023.

The congresswoman, who represents San Francisco, directed the announcement to her constituents.

“I have truly loved serving as your voice in Congress, and I have always honored the song of St. Francis, ‘Lord make 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 reelection to Congress,” Pelosi said in her video announcement. “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: 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 no stranger to the halls of Congress or Washington when she took office nearly 40 years ago. The congresswoman is a native of Baltimore and the daughter of a former Democratic congressman representing Maryland. She is a graduate of Trinity College in Washington, D.C., and eventually moved to San Francisco in 1969.