One of the most influential women in the United States is resigning from her post: Nancy Pelosi is not striving for another leadership role in the US Democrats. Now it’s up to the younger ones. Her party had previously lost a majority in the House of Representatives in the midterm elections.
US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi relinquishes leadership of the Democratic Party in the Congress Chamber after the midterm elections. In an emotional speech in the House of Representatives in Washington, the 82-year-old said she would not run for re-election to a Democratic leadership position in Congress. The time has come for “a new generation” to lead the Democratic faction. But she will remain a member of parliament.
Pelosi has represented a San Francisco constituency in Washington since 1987. First, she served as President of the House of Representatives from 2007 to 2011, making her the most powerful woman elected in US history until Kamala Harris became vice president in 2021. She became President of the Chamber again in 2019 and thus the central political opponent of Republican President Donald Trump. Pelosi was then elected to the post for another two-year term in November 2021.
Pelosi has also attracted attention outside of the United States. A visit by President Joe Biden’s allies to Taiwan in early August sparked clear irritation in China. Finally, a man broke into her apartment and seriously injured her 82-year-old husband. Politically, Pelosi was recently under pressure to clear the way for younger party colleagues. Hakeem Jeffries, 52, could start this generational shift. He would also be the first African American to lead a party in the House of Representatives.
During last week’s midterms, the Democrats lost their majority in the House of Representatives to the opposition Republicans. President Joe Biden’s party will lose the presidency of the Congress Chamber when the new Congress meets in early January. Then the group leader of the Republicans, Kevin McCarthy, should be elected as the new chairman of the House of Representatives.
