Pelosi to step down as top Democrat after Republicans take House, Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat and the first woman to hold the office of speaker of the US House of Representatives, announced on Thursday that she will step down from the position once Republicans take over the chamber in January.
Pelosi to step down as top Democrat after Republicans take House
“I will not seek reelection to Democratic leadership in the next Congress,” Pelosi said in an emotional speech on the House floor. “The hour has come for a new generation to lead the Democratic caucus.”The 82-year-old Pelosi’s departure from party leadership marks the end of an era in Washington and comes after Republicans secured a slim House majority in last week’s midterm elections. Democratic President Joe Biden hailed Pelosi as a “fierce defender of democracy” and the “most consequential” House speaker in US history.
“Because of Nancy Pelosi, the lives of millions and millions of Americans are better, even in districts represented by Republicans who voted against her bills and too often vilify her,” Biden said in a statement. “History will also note her fierceness and resolve to protect our democracy from the violent, deadly insurrection of January 6,” when supporters of former president Donald Trump attacked the US Capitol, he said. Former president Barack Obama also hailed the woman he called “one of the most accomplished legislators in American history.”
“I couldn’t be more grateful for her friendship and leadership,” he tweeted. Elected to Congress in 1987, Pelosi became speaker in 2007, the first and so far only woman ever to hold the powerful post. Known for keeping a tight grip on party ranks, she presided over both impeachments of Trump during her second stint in the role.
– ‘G.O.A.T.’ –
Pelosi, who is currently second in line for the presidency after Vice President Kamala Harris, stated last week that the vicious attack on her husband in the lead-up to the November 8 midterm elections would have an impact on her decision. An 82-year-old man named Paul Pelosi was hit with a hammer by an attacker who broke into their California house and was looking for the speaker. He was taken to the hospital with serious wounds.
Pelosi described her journey from “homemaker to House speaker” in her speech, which was greeted by a standing ovation from Democratic lawmakers, and how she first saw the Capitol when she was six years old. She hailed the midterm election’s better-than-expected performance by her party as a triumph for democracy.
“Last week, the American people spoke and their voices were raised in defense of liberty, of the rule of law and of democracy itself,” she said. With Pelosi stepping down from leadership, and fellow octogenarians Steny Hoyer and James Clyburn, the number two and three Democrats, signalling they will do the same, the party is on the cusp of a generational shift.
New York lawmaker Hakeem Jeffries, 52, who is expected to become Democratic minority leader in the next House, called Pelosi the “G.O.A.T.” — a sports reference to the Greatest of All Time. Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said she “made our country a much better place for countless women and girls.” “Nancy Pelosi was the one to blaze the trail,” he added.
Pelosi’s announcement met with a far different reaction on the Republican side of the aisle and many GOP lawmakers did not show up for her speech. “The Pelosi era is over. Good riddance!” tweeted Colorado lawmaker Lauren Boebert.
– Divided Congress –
In the Republican-controlled House, Kevin McCarthy, a 57-year-old lawmaker from California, is attempting to unseat Nancy Pelosi as speaker. McCarthy prevailed in a secret ballot party leadership vote on Tuesday, but potential far-right defections could still obstruct his path when the 435 newly elected Democrats and Republicans in the House choose a new speaker in January. On Thursday, House Republicans made it clear they would use their newly acquired authority to impede the president’s work with zealous committee investigations.
“We will be prepared to hold the Biden administration accountable from day one,” McCarthy said. “Our investigations are just getting started.”
Republicans had anticipated for a “red wave” to sweep over America in the midterm elections, giving them control of both chambers of Congress and a veto over the majority of Biden’s legislative proposals in light of the rising inflation and plummeting popularity ratings for the vice president. Instead, Democratic voters showed up in large numbers, energized by the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold abortion rights and leery of candidates backed by Trump who openly disapproved of the outcome of the 2020 presidential election. With 50 seats in the Senate and Harris’ tie-breaking vote, Biden’s party won an unbeatable majority, and a runoff in Georgia next month could still see the Democrats increase their control of the upper house.