Nancy Pelosi Retires: The Impact of Her Glass-Ceiling Shattering Career

Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi speaking with attendees at Trump Tax Town Hall hosted by Tax March at Events on Jackson in Phoenix, Arizona.

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) announced she will be retiring from Congress after serving 20 terms as the Democratic representative for California’s 11th Congressional District. This comes after Pelosi released a video to her San Francisco constituents on Nov. 6, 2025, taking viewers on a trip through the city’s history and showcasing her appreciation for her time in Washington.

“I have truly loved serving as your voice in Congress, and I have always honored the song of St. Francis, ‘Lord make an instrument of thy peace,’ the anthem of our city. That is why I want you, my fellow San Franciscans, to be the first to know. I will not be seeking reelection to Congress,” Pelosi says.

Pelosi’s retirement announcement did not catch many by surprise, as concerns around the 85 year-old’s health began to bubble, especially after she received a hip replacement in December 2024. Many also speculated that she was on the brink of ending her long career after she stepped down from House leadership last term, making this the first time she has served as a rank-and-file member in decades.

Pelosi stepped down after Republicans claimed control of the House in the 2022 midterms. Her actions then and now reflect her belief that it is time for a new generation of leaders in the chamber halls. In her announcement to step down she states, “For me the hour has come for a new generation to lead the Democratic caucus that I so deeply respect.”

Her retirement also comes just two days after Proposition 50 was passed in California. This ballot initiative allows the state to redraw its district lines to flip five Republican held seats to Democrat, following the recent redistricting that resulted in five additional Republican seats in Texas. Pelosi was a large advocate for this initiative, even raising “tens of millions of dollars” for it, according to aides. Proposition 50 is considered Pelosi’s final “passion project,” and suggests she believes it is a guardrail, ushering Democratic success in wake of her retirement.

As the first female speaker of the House, Pelosi’s legacy includes breaking the “glass-ceiling”, a metaphor that refers to the advent of women and minorities breaking through the societal barriers preventing them from rising to leadership positions. With 10 terms in House Democratic leadership, she has a reputation as one of the most powerful House members to date, specifically in terms of her influence over the vote. She was known for her persuasion tactics, even sometimes threatening punishment to get narrow voting margins to flip in her favor. Yet, her efforts are credited for pushing major bills to the finish line, including the landmark 2010 Affordable Care Act and the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act.

She was first elected during a special election in 1987, and stood out immediately in the chamber halls. In a time of far less diversity, Pelosi made a name for herself as she advocated for funding  AIDS research and support of the LGBTQ+ community. Her legislative skills were a stand-out and fellow young democrats of the time were impressed. “Meet the future first women speaker of the House,” Representative George Miller (D-CA) joked in 1987.

However, as time went on, Pelosi faced controversy and was challenged when it came to passing votes. In 2002, the Bush administration pressured Congress to approve military operations in Iraq on the basis that they had weapons of mass destruction. Pelosi did not believe the administration had enough evidence, but the war resolution still passed with a large majority, against Pelosi’s will. This is considered one of the only times Pelosi did not win on a major bill, but in a way she still did. Later, it was revealed that Iraq never had weapons of mass destruction, leading many to reflect harshly on the war. Pelosi looks back on the war as a, “gross misrepresentation to the American people of the capabilities and intentions of the Iraqi government.”

Pelosi has also faced backlash regarding her stock trades. As one of the wealthiest members of Congress, many grew to suspect she may have been using non-public information to gain an upper-hand in the market. However, Pelosi refutes these allegations, going as far to say her husband, Paul Pelosi, handles all the family’s stocks by himself. Amidst this scandal, Pelosi began to show support for bipartisan efforts to ban congressional stock trading.

More recently, Pelosi has spent the last couple years in the chamber years battling the Trump administration. Since the two first met, Trump has looked for ways to undermine Pelosi through misogynistic comments. In 2019, he posted a photo of Pelosi talking back to Trump and his team captioned “Nervous Nancy's unhinged meltdown!” However, the photo had the opposite effect, as Americans applauded Pelosi’s skilled ability to make the president nervous. “She was absolutely sure of herself and he is not at ease with strong, powerful women,” says Debbie Walsh, the director of the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University.

In terms of Pelosi’s actions, she was a major player during both of Trump’s impeachments. In 2018, she coined impeachment unnecessary when Trump was accused of getting information on a political opponent from a Ukrainian foreign entry. Pelosi said a trial would only lead to more divisiveness in the country and that Trump was “just not worth it.” However, in 2019 she changed her mind, as Trump withheld military funds from Ukraine over demands to get information on Biden’s family.

In 2020, Pelosi created a select investigative committee to look into Trump’s connection to the Jan. 6 Insurrection on the Capital. Even though Republicans regained control in Congress before anything came of the allegations, Pelosi’s committee spurred a larger Justice Department investigation around the event.

Pelosi said Trump is “the worst thing on the face of the Earth,” just days before she announced her retirement, while Trump celebrated Pelosi's retirement. “I think she’s an evil woman,” he says. “I think she did the country a great service by retiring. I think she was a tremendous liability for the country.” Pelosi's willingness to stand up to the President has only made her voice louder in the chamber halls, as her unique ability to fight has made her seem untouchable in the face of one of the world’s most powerful leaders. 

Respected and vilified among Democrats and Republicans, it was not Pelosi’s politics that made her the most powerful woman in Washington. Instead, her success comes from her grit and determination, values many feel are lacking in the current United States legislature.

Pelosi’s retirement reflects a large push towards change in the Democratic party, with younger leadership on the rise in the face of a Republican-led government. Many new faces, including Saikat Chakrabarti, Kat Abughazaleh and Elijah Manley, are running for House seats in 2026 and pre-existing Congress members are looking to throw out established Democrats, like Massachusetts' own Seth Moulton (D-MA). Beyond Congress, the 2025 election cycle saw 34 year-old Zohran Mamdani elected as New York City’s mayor by a large margin, beating the established former Governor Andrew Cuomo. 

These modern campaigns are mostly well received, especially amongst today’s youth. Fed up with the lack of action from establishment Democrats, young voters are drawn to more media-savvy candidates who seem relatable. This creates a sense of trust and makes constituents feel like their concerts are being listened to, a sentiment shared by Pelosi as she announced her final year in the chamber halls.

“As we go forward, my message to the city I love is this: San Francisco, know your power. 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 said in her retirement announcement.