On Thursday, US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced she will not seek re-election to the Democratic Party’s congressional leadership.
“For me, the hour has come for a new generation to lead the Democratic caucus that I so deeply respect, and I’m grateful that so many are ready and willing to shoulder this awesome responsibility.”
– Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House of Representatives
In 2007, Pelosi, 82, became the first woman to serve as the speaker and has been the top House Democratic lawmaker for almost 20 years.
Pelosi will continue to serve in Congress to represent her constituents in California, but is ready to pass the leadership to the next generation.
Her decision to step down comes less than a month after an intruder assaulted her husband at the couple’s home in San Francisco.
House Democratic Conference Chairman and New York representative Hakeem Jeffries, 52, is widely considered a frontrunner to replace Pelosi.
