Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said in a press conference on Friday she plans to run for re-election for what would be the former House Speaker’s 20th term in the House, after she stepped down from her role as the House Democratic caucus leader late last year.
Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) announced she will run for re-election in 2024.
Pelosi, 83, said she would seek re-election next year, representing California’s 11th district, including most of the city of San Francisco, an area she has represented since 1987.
In a post on X announcing her campaign, Pelosi said that “now more than ever our City needs us to advance San Francisco’s values and further our recovery,” following mass-layoffs affecting San Francisco-based tech companies, the emptying of office space in the city’s downtown area and concerns about crime (San Francisco’s murder rate has increased in recent years though its overall crime rate has come down, according to the San Francisco Police Department).
Pelosi had stepped down from her role as the Democratic leader in the House after Republicans regained control of the House in November, 2022, amid a series of shake-ups that also saw former Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) and former Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) leave their party leadership positions—Pelosi said at the time she planned to remain in Washington to “speak for the people of San Francisco.”
84%. That’s the share of voters in California’s 11th District that voted for Pelosi in the 2022 Midterm Election, over Republican John Dennis’ 16% of the vote.
Pelosi's announcement also comes as many long-time lawmakers face calls to step down over their advanced ages, including Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), who has suffered from a bout of shingles that sidelined her for nearly three months earlier this year and appeared to be confused in a Senate committee hearing in July. Health concerns have also come to light around Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) after he appeared to freeze in front of reporters on two separate occasions in recent months, though McConnell vowed this week to remain in the Senate through the end of his term, despite speculation the 81-year-old senator may have suffered a mini seizure or stroke. President Joe Biden has also faced concerns about his age as he plans his 2024 re-election bid. Biden, 80, has faced ridicule from Republicans over his age, including from former President and 2024 candidate Donald Trump, who himself is 77. A CNN poll released this week found roughly three-quarters of Americans said they are concerned about Biden’s age negatively affecting his mental and physical competence.
Pelosi has downplayed Feinstein’s health complications amid calls for a potential age cap on members of Congress, telling Politico on Thursday that Feinstein was “doing OK,” describing a recent fall the 90-year-old senator took as “very little,” saying: “It was like nothing.”
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