Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced Friday that she is running for reelection in 2024 to continue representing her California district in the House.
Pelosi, 83, stepped down from her leadership role following two decades in the post.
“Now more than ever our City needs us to advance San Francisco values and further our recovery,” Pelosi wrote on X. “Our country needs America to show the world that our flag is still there, with liberty and justice for ALL. That is why I am running for reelection — and respectfully ask for your vote. -Nancy.”
Pelosi was first elected to Congress in 1987.
In November, the California lawmaker announced she would be relinquishing her position as head of the Democratic caucus, which she held for 19 years, to make way for a “new generation to lead.” With her leadership still in high demand in her party, Pelosi was expected to likely still help manage her successor’s transition as an informal coach, Punchbowl News reported at the time. With the new title of “Speaker Emerita,” Pelosi has since functioned as a de-facto custodian of Democratic power in the chamber since the party adjusted to minority status with the GOP taking control again.
Over the last several months, Pelosi has been reticent about her career plans, refusing to confirm whether she would again run for Congress. When CNN asked her in July if she intended to seek the California seat, she replied, “we’ll see.”
Republicans and Democrats alike have urged Senate Minority leader Mitch McConnell to follow Pelosi’s lead and step down from leading his caucus amid his alleged cognitive deterioration as evidenced by two recent incidents in which he struggled to speak before reporters. Pelosi is 83 years old and McConnell is 81 years old. Given some elderly politicians’ frailty, such as Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein’s, which has inhibited her from performing basic job responsibilities, there have been new calls for instituting a retirement age for federal officeholders.