Nancy Pelosi has said she will not run again as the Democratic leader of the House of Representatives after nearly two decades in office.
The veteran politician lost the presidency after Republicans took the House in the recent midterm elections.
Despite saying she would step down from the post she has held since 2004, Ms. Pelosi said she would continue to represent San Francisco in the House, as she has for 35 years.
The 82-year-old has served as speaker twice during her time in Congress and was the first woman to hold the position when she was elected in 2007.
She revealed her decision in a speech to the House on Thursday and was applauded by her fellow Democrats who must now choose a new leader.
The favorite to replace Ms. Pelosi as Democratic leader is Representative Hakeem Jeffries of New York.
Image: Image: AP
Now that they have a majority, the presidency is likely to pass to House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy when the new Congress is sworn in on January 3.
In her speech she recalled visiting the Capitol for the first time as a child when her father was sworn in as a congressman.
He called the House chamber “holy ground” and called it the “heart of American democracy.”
“I never thought that one day I would go from being a housewife to being the talk of the house,” she said.
“I will not seek re-election to the Democratic leadership in the next Congress. The time has come for a new generation to lead the Democratic caucus.”
Referring to last year’s attack on the Capitol, he continued: “American democracy is majestic, but it is fragile. Many of us here have witnessed firsthand our fragility, tragically in this chamber. And so democracy must forever defend itself against the forces that desire it. harm.”
She also noted the increase in the number of women serving in the House since she first joined and thanked her family and staff.
“A new day is dawning,” he added.
Pelosi was first elected to the House in a special election and rose steadily through the ranks, securing leadership positions before winning her first term as Speaker in 2007.
She first served as speaker from 2007 to 2011 when Democrats opposed the Iraq war to control the House.
She became speaker again in 2019 as Democrats mounted a wave of opposition to Trump to win control of the House, and was re-elected as speaker in November 2021.