Leaders of San Francisco's LGBTQ community praised Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi for her decades of support and dedication to public service when reacting to her announcement that she will retire after serving out her current term in January 2027.

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s decision to step aside after nearly four decades in Congress has opened a wide race

As Ms. Pelosi announced her retirement, she was celebrated for her long tenure in Washington. But back home, she was remembered for showing up at a terrifying moment when others turned away.

Rep. Nancy Pelosi’s decision not to run for reelection, announced Thursday, will allow San Francisco to openly debate how its representative — and the Democratic Party — should approach this unprecedented moment in American politics and democracy in the 2026 election.

Nancy Pelosi's retirement signals the last in a series of Capitol Hill departures for powerful California politicians, leaving the state bereft of the influence it once enjoyed.

Nearly 40 years later, Pelosi will leave office as the most powerful woman in congressional history, one of the most powerful in American history, and surely the most skilled and accomplished congressional leader of her era. On Thursday, the 85-year-old former House Speaker announced that she would not seek re-election after 20 terms.