Announcing her plans for the future on Thursday afternoon, now-former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi announced that she would no longer be involved in the leadership of the Democrat caucus in the House of Reps.
Speaking on that, Rep. Nancy Pelosi said, while wearing a suffragette-white pantsuit and “Mace of the Republic” pin:
“There is no greater official honor for me than to stand on this floor and to speak for the people of San Francisco.
“This I will continue to do as a member of the House speaking for the people of San Francisco, serving the great state of California and defending our Constitution and with great confidence in our caucus, I will not seek re-election to Democratic leadership in the next Congress.”
So, though she’ll be out of the Democrat leadership in the House, she will be sticking around in Congress to “defend our Constitution” and represent the people the people of San Francisco.
Continuing, Pelosi went on to explain her retreat from leadership as a way for the next generation of Democrats to take over and gain leadership experience, saying that the “hour’s come for a new generation” to lead the Democratic caucus in the House.
She then implied that there are multiple candidates for the position willing to take over for her, saying:
“I am grateful that so many are ready and willing to shoulder this awesome responsibility. I am endlessly grateful for all of life’s blessings.”
Axios, reporting on who those individuals may be, reported that:
What we’re watching: Democratic Caucus Chair Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), 52, is seen by many colleagues as Pelosi’s natural successor, though Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), 83, is keeping his options open, Axios reported Wednesday evening.
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House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.), 82, told reporters earlier this week he is likely to seek a spot on leadership that isn’t one of the top roles.
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Reps. Katherine Clark (D-Mass.), 59, the assistant speaker, and Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.), 43, the caucus vice chair, are seen as likely contenders for minority whip and assistant leader respectively.
Watch Pelosi’s speech here:
Nancy Pelosi steps down as House Democratic leader after 20 years: "The hour has come for a new generation to lead the Democratic caucus that I so deeply respect." https://t.co/lDMkvzVTzV pic.twitter.com/dDfKHCUKYK
— Axios (@axios) November 17, 2022
John Solomon’s Just the News, adding more detail to what Pelosi said during her speech on the House floor, noted that:
Prior to announcing her future plans, Pelosi had said the attack on her husband last month at the couple’s San Francisco home – in which the alleged assailant reportedly said he was looking for her – will heavily influence her future plans.
In her speech on the House floor, Pelosi mentioned her husband Paul, who is recovering from the attack, and thanked the public for their prayers.
Pelosi emphasized that democracy must be defended, referring to the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. Pelosi said there were 12 Democratic women in Congress when she first began serving in 1987 and now there are 90.
Pelosi’s decision to retire makes sense in terms of her personal situation. Her husband, Paul Pelosi, not only got caught drunk driving in recent months but also was involved in an incident at the Pelosi home in California and was reportedly injured, with Nancy Pelosi saying, when speaking with Anderson Cooper, that the attack would affect her decision.
During her speech, Pelosi said “Never did I think I’d go from homemaker to House Speaker.” Well, now she’s going from House Speaker to House Member, a decidedly less exciting jump.
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