WASHINGTON — Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Catholic and the first woman to be elected to that role, announced Nov. 6 that she will not seek re-election to Congress in 2026.
The announcement signals the end of a consequential congressional career for Pelosi, who was given the title “Speaker Emerita” when she stepped down from a formal Democratic House leadership role three years ago.
“I will not be seeking re-election to Congress. With a grateful heart, I look forward to my final year of service as your proud representative,” Pelosi, 85, said in a video message addressed to her San Francisco constituents.
Pelosi has represented her San Francisco district for nearly 40 years, and led her party in the House for two decades from 2003-2023 through political shifts that saw Democrats in both the majority and minority in the chamber.
She made history as the first — and currently the only — woman to serve as speaker of the House, leading the chamber from 2007-2011 and then again from 2019-2023. She became known for her fundraising prowess and her ability to bring together varied factions within her party to pass some of the Democrats’ major legislative goals, including the 2010 Affordable Care Act and the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
Pelosi’s tenure was marked by both accomplishment and controversy.
Pelosi often led the push in the House to enact the legislative goals of Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden, and often spearheaded congressional opposition to Presidents George W. Bush and Donald Trump. But she did work on bipartisan legislation as well, notably with Bush on PEPFAR, the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, authorized by Congress and Bush in 2003.
Pelosi’s Catholic faith is a frequent topic of the former speaker herself, even as she took public positions at odds with Catholic teaching, perhaps most notably on her advocacy for legal abortion.
The Catholic Church teaches that all human life is sacred from conception to natural death, and as such, opposes direct abortion. After the Supreme Court’s Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision, church officials in the U.S. have reiterated the church’s concern for both mother and child and called to strengthen available support for those living in poverty or other causes that can push women toward having an abortion.
In 2022, San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone, barred Pelosi from receiving the Eucharist in that archdiocese, but she later received holy Communion during a papal Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica.
Pelosi frequently discussed her Catholic faith in public remarks, often citing Pope Francis‘ encyclical “Laudato Si'” in her remarks about climate policy, Catholic social teachings on immigration and economic matters, or when invoking her city’s patron saint.
In her announcement video, Pelosi said she “honored the song of St. Francis, ‘Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace,’ the anthem of our city.”
She also gained a reputation as a staunch critic of China’s communist government, visiting Taiwan in 2022 despite warnings from both then-President Joe Biden and China’s President Xi Jinping not to make the trip.
Her relationship with Biden broke down in 2024 when she encouraged him to exit the race for president after a disastrous debate performance, which also resulted in tension between the Biden and Pelosi families.
“As we go forward, my message to the city I love is this: San Francisco, know your power,” Pelosi said in her video announcement. “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’s current term in Congress ends on Jan. 3, 2027.
