White House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced that she was planning to step down from her post of leading the Democrats in the House of Representatives that has lasted nearly two decades.
The 82-year-old Democrat is seen as the most powerful left-wing individual in Congress and was the first woman to serve as speaker of the House. Despite stepping down from her post, Pelosi will continue to represent her California district in the lower chamber of Congress.
Nancy Pelosi Steps Down
The announcement comes as Republicans are projected to retake majority control of the House after the midterm elections. Republican Kevin McCarthy won his party's nomination to be the speaker in the new Congress and is expected to succeed Pelosi.
In a statement released on Thursday, Pelosi said that she never thought that she would one day go from homemaker to House speaker. She also noted that she would not seek re-election to Democratic leadership in the next Congress. The lawmaker added that it was time for a new generation to lead the Democratic caucus, as per BBC.
Pelosi will continue to serve as speaker of the House until January of next year when a new Congress takes over. She will also remain in the seat that she first took up in 1987 up until January 2025. The situation comes as New York Congressman Hakeem Jeffries is expected to become the next top Democratic leader in the House. That would make him the first black congressional leader in the history of the United States.
According to the Associated Press, Pelosi's announcement also comes after her husband, Paul Pelosi, was brutally attacked last month inside their San Francisco home. The California lawmaker is viewed as a pivotal figure and one of, if not the most, powerful speaker in modern times.
Leader of the Democratic Caucus
Pelosi was greeted with cheers when she arrived at her address while dressed in white, a nod to the suffragettes. The House speaker received a standing ovation when she closed her speech and lawmakers and guests came to hug her one by one, with many taking selfies to record a moment in history.
United States President Joe Biden had previously encouraged Pelosi to stay as the Democratic leader. He spoke with her on the morning of the announcement and congratulated her on her historic tenure as speaker of the House.
In a statement, the Democratic president said that history will note Pelosi as the most consequential Speaker of the House of Representatives in our history. He added that she had the ability to win unity from her caucus and that she had "absolute dignity."
As Pelosi did not reveal who she would support to replace her next year, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer and House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn announced that they too would step down from their posts. The latter two both endorsed 52-year-old Jeffries to succeed the female House speaker.
Hoyer noted that Jeffries will make history if he takes up the position while Clyburn added that he had hoped Massachusetts Rep. Katherine Clark and California Rep. Pete Aguilar would join Jeffries in House Democratic leadership, CNN reported.
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