"House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi announced Thursday that she won't seek re-election in 2026. I am grateful to her for that-she's 85, it's time-but I'm not someone who is celebrating the news. It's wistful to me. She had her flaws, but the 38-year House veteran was the most productive progressive leader of my lifetime. Some would deny her the label progressive, but her combination of solid liberal values and unrivalled legislative skill meant she got more meaningful progressive legislation passed"
"Don't believe me: Rep. Pramila Jayapal, chair emerita of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, posted on X upon hearing the news: "Speaker Emerita Pelosi has been the most effective Speaker in a generation-delivering time & again for the American people & showing true, principled leadership. It has been my honor to serve with her & I thank her for her work to make America a more just & fair place for us all.""
"Pelosi was my congressional representative in San Francisco for 25 years, and I was proud to vote for her many times. But I didn't vote for her when she first ran for office in 1987; I voted for Democratic Socialists of America leader Harry Britt. I had met Pelosi several times, first when she chaired the California Democratic Party and came to Santa Barbara, where I had my first job out of college, for a tea with wealthy ladies in tony Montecito."
Nancy Pelosi announced she will not seek re-election in 2026 at age 85. Pelosi served 38 years in the House and led major progressive legislative achievements, credited with enabling the Affordable Care Act and advancing parts of President Joe Biden's domestic agenda despite Senate defections by Krysten Sinema and Joe Manchin. Pramila Jayapal praised Pelosi as the most effective Speaker in a generation, citing principled leadership and service to a more just and fair America. A longtime San Francisco constituent recalled voting for Pelosi many times, initially supporting Harry Britt in 1987 and underestimating Pelosi's political skill after meeting her at a California Democratic Party tea.
Read at The Nation
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