Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of the White House, made the decision to leave her position as head of the Democrats in the House of Representatives, which she has held for close to 20 years.
The Democrat, who is 82 years old, was the first woman to hold the office of speaker of the House and is regarded as the most influential left-wing figure in Congress. Pelosi will still represent her California seat in the lower house of Congress while resigning from her position.
Nancy Pelosi Retirement
The statement comes as predictions indicate that following the November elections, Republicans will once again hold a majority in the House. Republican Kevin McCarthy, who won his party’s candidacy, is anticipated to replace Pelosi as speaker of the incoming Congress.
Pelosi said in a statement issued on Thursday that she never imagined she would one day advance from housewife to the speaker of the House. She also said she wouldn’t run for Democratic leadership in the upcoming Congress.
Pelosi also said that it was time for a new generation to take the helm of the Democratic caucus.
Until the start of the new Congress in January of next year, Pelosi will remain speaker of the House. Additionally, she will hold onto the position she initially assumed in 1987 until January 2025. Congressman Hakeem Jeffries of New York is anticipated to take over as the main Democratic leader in the House at the time of the event. He would thereafter become the first black congressional leader in American history.
The revelation by Nancy Pelosi also comes after her husband, Paul Pelosi, was brutally attacked last month inside their San Francisco home. The California politician is regarded as a key player and one of the most effective speakers in contemporary times, if not the most effective.
When Pelosi came for her address wearing all-white in a homage to the suffragettes, she was greeted with applause. Following a standing ovation, the House speaker was hugged by legislators and visitors one by one as several snapped photographs to capture the historic occasion.
US President Joe Biden had earlier urged Nancy Pelosi to continue leading the Democratic Party. On the morning of the announcement, he talked with her and offered his congrats on her historic term as speaker of the House.
Nancy Pelosi Replacement
The Democratic president said in a statement that Nancy Pelosi would go down in history as the most important Speaker of the House of Representatives in our country’s history. Biden continued by saying she had “absolute dignity” and the capacity to bring her caucus together.
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer and House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn both announced their resignations from their positions while Pelosi remained quiet on who she would support to succeed her the next year. Both of the latter two supported Jeffries, 52, for the position of House speaker in her place.
Hoyer stated that Jeffries will create history if he accepts the job, and Clyburn added that he had hoped Jeffries would be joined in the leadership of the House Democratic Caucus by Massachusetts Representative Katherine Clark and California Representative Pete Aguilar.