Nancy Pelosi's Bombshell Leadership Announcement Explained

Nancy Pelosi will not be pursuing re-election as Speaker of the House, but she'll stay in Congress. Reuters reported Pelosi dropped the bombshell announcement the day after the GOP won the majority of the U.S. House of Representatives. The leader said she'll continue to serve as Congresswoman in her San Francisco district. Reuters also noted Pelosi was the first woman to be elected as House Speaker and has served in Congress for 35 years. According to The New York Times, Pelosi said, "For me the hour's come for a new generation to lead the Democratic caucus that I so deeply respect . . . I am grateful that so many are ready and willing to shoulder this awesome responsibility."

The iconic speaker made the announcement weeks after the violent assault on her husband. As CNN explained, David DePape attacked Paul Pelosi with a hammer putting the 82-year-old in the ICU. Speaker Pelosi was reportedly the target of the attack. The news outlet reported that the radicalized attacker yelled at Paul, "Where is Nancy? Where is Nancy?" 

The speaker appeared on the Sunday talk show "State of the Union," telling host Dana Bash her decision to run again for speaker would be "rooted in the wishes of my family and the wishes of my caucus," per CNN. The reaction to the speaker's bombshell announcement was fast and furious. 

Speaker Nancy Pelosi's announcement had Twitter blowing up. One fan of the speaker tweeted: "Hell of a speech from Pelosi. If this is truly it for her, I hope everyone realizes what we're losing. People don't often recognize greatness when they're seeing it in real time, but make no mistake, Pelosi is a titan, and one of — if not THE — most influential women of our time." Another member of "Team Nancy" posted: "We don't say it enough — Nancy Pelosi has been one of the best speakers of the House in American history." 

A young Democrat shared the famous photo of Pelosi pointing at Donald Trump during a White House meeting and tweeted: "Remember this photo? This is exactly why Nancy Pelosi is [an] absolute boss. In a room of men who try to bring her down, she not only stands her ground, but she stands up to them. Nancy is a true leader."

President Biden chimed in: "History will note her as the most consequential Speaker of the House of Representatives in history – she is first, last, and always for the people. America owes her a debt of gratitude for her service, patriotism, and dignity." At the time this story was published, the only official Republican reaction was a meme that said Pelosi was "fired."