Nancy Pelosi, the first female speaker of the US House of representatives, on Thursday announced that she will step down from her position a day after Republicans secured slight majority in the recently concluded midterm elections.
Pelosi said that she will step down in January when Republicans take control of the chamber.
Addressing the floor, the 82-year-old Pelosi said, “I will not seek reelection to Democratic leadership in the next Congress. The hour has come for a new generation to lead the Democratic caucus.”
In the recently concluded midterm elections, Republicans gained control of House of Representatives while Democrats retained the control of Senate.
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Praising Democrats’ performance in the midterm elections, Pelosi said, “Last week, the American people spoke and their voices were raised in defense of liberty, of the rule of law and of democracy itself. The people stood in the breach and repelled the assault on democracy.”
In her speech, she called the House chamber "sacred ground" and the "heart of American democracy." She remembered visiting the Capitol for the first time as a child when her father was sworn in as a House member. She said that the chamber represented "the people's house" and had done "the people's work."
Pelosi added that she would continue to represent her San Francisco district in the next Congress.
Earlier this week she said in a statement, “House Democrats will continue to play a leading role in supporting President Biden's agenda -- with strong leverage over a scant Republican majority.”
Nancy Pelosi was elected to Congress in 1987. She first became speaker in 2007 and then again in 2018. She has presided over both impeachments of Donald Trump during her second stint in the role.