House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has reportedly not informed anyone about whether she intends to retire or remain in Congress.
Pelosi’s silence comes as Democrats are likely to lose the House majority to Republicans by a slim margin. Punchbowl News reported Friday Pelosi “hasn’t informed anyone what her plans are. Or at least not anyone who’s willing to disclose those plans.”
Pelosi is scheduled to appear on two Sunday morning TV shows, but an announcement is unlikely.
If Pelosi does retire, it would create awkward infighting within the Democrat caucus over who should replace her as the top House Democrat.
Several Democrats are rumored to covet her leadership position, such as House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD), Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (D-SC), Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), and Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.
Rumors of Pelosi’s retirement go back as far as last year. In August 2021, Atlantic magazine reported Pelosi would resign from her leadership role. “Sometime in the not-so-distant future, probably after next year’s midterm elections, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will announce that she’s stepping down,” the article read.
CNN’s Anderson Cooper asked Pelosi Monday if she was going to retire. She refused to answer the question, while suggesting the attack on her husband may play a role in her retirement decision.
“Well, I have to say my decision would be affected about what happened the last week or two,” she told Cooper, before confirming she was referring to the attack on her husband.
Follow Wendell Husebø on Twitter @WendellHusebø. He is the author of Politics of Slave Morality.
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