83-Year-Old Nancy Pelosi Running For Re-Election

 Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), the 83-year-old former House speaker, announced Friday that she will run for re-election. 

The congresswoman has represented San Francisco since 1987 and is currently the sixth oldest member of the House. Pelosi’s announcement puts questions surrounding her future to rest after many speculated she would retire after serving out her current term, which ends in January of 2025. 

“Now more than ever our City needs us to advance San Francisco values and further our recovery,” Pelosi posted on X. “Our country needs America to show the world that our flag is still there, with liberty and justice for ALL. That is why I am running for reelection — and respectfully ask for your vote.” 

After losing her speakership when Republicans gained control of the House last November, Pelosi stepped down from House leadership, saying that it was time “for a new generation to lead the Democratic caucus that I so deeply respect.” Many speculated Pelosi’s time in Congress was coming to an end after her announcement in November and the attack on her husband Paul that took place a month prior. 

Paul Pelosi said his wife had signaled she would retire from public service when she reportedly said she wasn’t interested in being ambassador to Italy, a position she was rumored to be given upon leaving Congress. 

“It wouldn’t go away but she was very clear,” he said of Nancy’s reaction to the possibility. “‘I don’t want the job, I’m done, I’m done.’”

 

Despite her age, Pelosi remains a powerful voice and fundraiser for the Democratic Party. Her announcement of a re-election campaign comes as Democrats face an uphill battle to retake the House and maintain control of the Senate in the 2024 election. 

Questions have swirled around the mental ability of aging Democrats and Republicans on Capitol Hill.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) worried colleagues and voters after freezing mid-sentence during a press conference for the second time last week, while Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) has faced health struggles and mental lapses after being absent from D.C. for 10 weeks while she recovered from the shingles virus. Meanwhile, President Joe Biden has fallen, appeared lost, and said undistinguishable words multiple times while appearing in front of crowds and the press.