In some big news coming after the stunning news of sweeping Democrat victories in New Jersey and Virginia, along with the election of “communist” candidate Zohran Mamdani in New York City, longtime member of Congress from California Rep. Nancy Pelosi announced that she is retiring from Congress, as she will not be running for re-election in the 2026 midterms.
Pelosi announced the news in a post on X in which she posted a video and captioned it by saying, “Thank you, San Francisco.” In the video, which followed days of rumors that she would be retiring after the off-year elections, Pelosi addressed her constituents and explained why she has decided to drop out of Congress.
Beginning the video, Pelosi patted San Franciscans on the back for embracing the future, vaguely trying to tie the gold rush from the mid-19th century with the technology boom for which the area is now known. She said, “Hi, dear San Francisco. We are fortunate to live in the most beautiful, remarkable place on Earth. But the true magic of San Francisco, the San Franciscans, there’s a reason why our city has always been synonymous with the future. Here. We don’t fear the future. We forge it from the gold rush to the miracles of science and technology. Our city has always been the cradle of innovation, buzzing with optimism and creativity.”
Continuing, she tried to connect “innovation” with “diversity,” saying, “Our city has always been the cradle of innovation, buzzing with optimism and creativity. We are vibrant and diverse. City, home to hard-working families, diligent students, heroic veterans, and the dreams of entrepreneurs and immigrants from Chinatown to Japantown, from the mission to the film, from Hunter’s Point to the Castro, North Beach to the Sunset.”
She then spoke about resilience, trying to connect the infamous earthquake to the AIDS catastrophe. She said, “We are also resilient, experiencing more than our fair share of challenge. When the Loma Prieta earthquake struck, we brought in federal support that ensured we would not just recover but reimagine the South of Market neighborhood and of course, HIV AIDS tested our city to its core.”
Continuing to ramble about AIDS, she said, “But out of our agony came action. Under the leadership of UCSF and San Francisco General, we pioneered comprehensive community based care, prevention and research. That very system served as a model as we wrote the Ryan White Care Act, which still ensures access to life-saving medical care nationwide. Fittingly, our city is home to the National AIDS Memorial Grove, a place of renewal, where we remember the loved ones we lost.”
That’s when she finally got to her political career, noting that she has been in Congress for decades and patted herself on the back for being a female Speaker of the House. She said, “For decades, I’ve cherished the privilege of representing our magnificent city in the United States Congress. It seems prophetic now that the slogan of my very first campaign in 1987 was a voice that will be heard, and it was you who made those words come true. It was the faith that you had placed in me and the latitude that you have given me that enabled me to shatter the marble ceiling and be the first woman Speaker of the House whose voice would certainly be heard.”
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Still not done with that championing of her own career, Pelosi said, “It was an historic moment for our country, and it was momentous for our community, empowering me to bring home billions of dollars for our city and our state. With these resources, we have powered enormous progress for healthcare, from the fight against HIV Aids to the Affordable Care Act for transportation, extending heart, electrifying Caltrain, creating the third street light rail and the central subway, and strengthening Our iconic Golden Gate Bridge, all creating good, paying jobs for housing, enabling nonprofits to build affordable, low income community based housing with the low income housing tax credit for the environment, from protecting clean air and water to taking action on climate to transforming The Presidio from military post to a national park a model for the nation.”
Adding to that with yet more commentary about various disasters she framed as successes, such as Obamacare, Pelosi said, “Of course, credit for this work also goes to our brothers and sisters in labor, and it was also made possible by the entrepreneurial spirit of our private and nonprofit sectors. We can be proud of what we have accomplished, but there’s always much more work to be done. Of course, San Francisco’s impact is not confined to our city limits, the Affordable Care Act, Wall Street reform, human rights abroad and so many other priorities all sprang from the vision values and voices of San Franciscans. Because of your trust, I was able to represent our city and our country around the world with patriotism and pride, I say to my colleagues in the house all the time, no matter what title they have bestowed upon me, Speaker, Leader, Whip, there has been no greater honor for me than to stand on the House floor and say, I speak for the people of San Francisco.”
Finally announcing her decision to not run for re-election, she said, “I have truly loved serving as your voice in Congress, and I have always honored the song of St Francis. Lord make me 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 with a grateful heart. I look forward to my final year of service as your proud representative.”
Concluding, she said, “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. In doing so, we ensure that our city shines on as a beacon of hope, justice and peace for the country and for generations to come. After all, San Francisco is the greatest city on Earth, with the most extraordinary people on Earth, and a place that I will always believe is heaven on earth. Thank you San Francisco for trusting me to be your voice and Congress. May God bless you, may God bless the United States of America.”
Watch it here:
Thank you, San Francisco. pic.twitter.com/OP8ubeFzR6
— Nancy Pelosi (@TeamPelosi) November 6, 2025