Former U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi Announces Retirement from Politics

What Happened?

Former U.S. Speaker of the House and longtime congressional representative from California, Nancy Pelosi, announced that she will not seek another term in Congress. In a video message Ms. Pelosi posted online, she said she would not be seeking re-election after her term ends in 2027. 

‘We have made history, we have made progress,’ Pelosi said in her message. Ms. Pelosi, who was first elected to Congress in 1987, went on to become the first woman in U.S. history to be speaker of the house. She is widely credited with helping pass the Affordable Care Act during the Presidency of Barack Obama. 

Why it Matters

Ms. Pelosi, who is eighty-five years old, has long been a darling of the political left and a foe of the political right. To the left, she is a progressive woman who helped pass climate change legislation in addition to health care reform, and to the right, she is a big-spending coastal elitist pushing what they see as a radical agenda.

The degree of popularity on the left and unpopularity on the right both demonstrate that Nancy Pelosi has been a significant figure in American politics for the past two decades. Most recently, she led two impeachment efforts against President Trump, both of which were unsuccessful. Of Ms. Pelosi, President Trump said, ‘she was an evil woman.’

In the U.S. House of Representatives, the average age is nearly sixty-four years old, with many longtime representatives like Ms. Pelosi being much older than that. Both parties have many elected representatives in their seventies and eighties, which is long past the retirement age for American workers. Representatives with long tenures in the House are often seen as institutions themselves and unbeatable in their respective districts.

While experience can be valuable in Congress, the high average age has created frustration with America’s growing population of young people, who are underrepresented demographically in Washington D.C. Because established members of Congress often control their party machinery, including donors, it can be nearly impossible for newcomers to get elected. 

Ms. Pelosi was also once a newcomer herself, but she is wealthy, and that often facilitates access to donors and media attention that average people simply can’t get. She has been popular in her home congressional district, never facing any serious challenges for most of her political career. 

How it Affects You

Democrats will lament Ms. Pelosi’s retirement, and Republicans will celebrate it, cementing their longstanding and different perceptions. She did not indicate what role, if any, she plans to play in politics after her retirement from Congress, but the potential is there for her to remain a powerful behind-the-scenes influencer.