Pelosi announces she will not run for leadership post after GOP wins House

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced that she would relinquish her leadership post on Thursday, after leading House Democrats for two decades, building a legacy as one of the most powerful and polarizing figures in American politics.

Pelosi, the first and only woman to serve as Speaker, said that she would continue to serve in the House, giving the next generation the opportunity to lead the House Democrats, who will be in the minority next year despite a better-than-expected midterm election performance.

Pelosi touted the party's legislative achievements under her leadership before saying: "Now we must move boldly into the future." Pelosi said she will continue "speaking for the people of San Francisco" as their congresswoman.

Her announcement comes after Democrats lost a majority in the lower chamber but maintained control of the Senate in the 2022 midterms, holding off a potentially larger “red wave.”

Pelosi said that when she first visited the US Capitol as a child, she never imagined she would go "from a home maker to House speaker."

Read more about Pelosi's announcement here.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is speaking on the House floor, where she recalled first setting eyes on the Capitol building at six years old and discussed the fragility of American democracy.

Pelosi said she first saw the Capitol when she was a little girl traveling to see her father being sworn in for his fifth term in Congress.

"Finally, I saw it: a stunning white building with a magnificent dome I believed then as I believe today — this is the most beautiful building in the world because of what it represents," Pelosi told lawmakers on the floor.

She called the building "a temple of our democracy, our Constitution, our highest ideals."

"All of us who have served in this House have taken the hallowed oath of office and it is the oath that stitches us together in a long and storied heritage (of) colleagues who have served before us," she continued, highlighting how lawmakers in the room throughout history abolished slavery, granted the women the right to vote and established hallmark social programs.

The House Speaker called American democracy "majestic" but "fragile."

"Many of us here have witnessed its fragility firsthand, tragically, in this chamber," she continued.

The Democratic side of the chamber is completely full inside the House. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is sitting next to Pete Aguilar. Next to them is Reps. Hakeem Jeffries and Katherine Clark as well as Reps. Jim Clyburn and Steny Hoyer.

Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney is here as well.  

On the Republican side, Reps. Rodney Davis, Ashley Hinson, G.T. Thompson, Young Kim and former Rep. Joe Walsh, were there, but they spoke during one-minutes before House Speaker Nancy Pelosi arrived. 

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is speaking now on the House floor.

Spokesperson Drew Hammill said in a tweet Wednesday that the Democratic leader would "address her future plans" to colleagues on Thursday.

Speculation has intensified in recent weeks that she may step down from her leadership role. There are two versions of her planned floor speech that she took home Wednesday night, a source told CNN, and it’s unclear which version she will deliver.

Hammill tweeted Thursday morning that the speaker would give remarks at around 12:10 p.m. ET in the chamber.

CNN's Clare Foran and Annie Grayer contributed reporting to this post.

As Democrats wait on pins and needles for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to reveal a decision about her future, a former chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus told CNN that Rep. Hakeem Jeffries “is prepared for the moment” if Pelosi steps aside.

Asked if he thinks Jeffries will run for the top Democratic leader post should Pelosi relinquish her power, retiring Rep. G.K. Butterfield said: “Yes.”

Butterfield won’t get a vote because he is leaving, but he predicted the CBC will be “100%" behind Jeffries, no matter who else may run.

 “You can count on that,” he added.

Two of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's daughters — documentarian filmmaker Alexandra Pelosi and Nancy Corrine Pelosi — are with her at the Capitol ahead of her expected speech. 

CNN reported earlier today that Pelosi didn't answer any questions when she arrived in the building.

Pelosi's spokesperson said she will “address her future plans” on Thursday. There are two versions of her planned floor speech that she took home Wednesday night, a source told CNN, and it’s unclear which version she will deliver. The House is set to meet at noon ET today.

As they were leaving a Democratic whip meeting, House Democrats were divided about whether Speaker Nancy Pelosi should stay in her position.

Rep. Seth Moulton of Massachusetts, who previously tried to oust Pelosi, told CNN it’s time for a new chapter.

“Well look, I think she's a historic speaker, she's a historic speaker who's accomplished an incredible amount, but I also think there are a lot of Democrats ready for a new chapter,” he said.

Rep. Joyce Beatty of Ohio, chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus, told CNN that she expects her caucus to throw their support behind Rep. Hakeem Jeffries as the next leader if Pelosi steps aside.

“I think that if she steps aside, I'm very clear that Hakeem Jeffries is the person that I will be voting for and leading the Congressional Black Caucus to vote for. … Well, I don't always speak for everybody, but I'm very comfortable saying I believe that every member of the Congressional Black Caucus would vote for Hakeem Jeffries,” she said.

While Jeffries is widely seen as a frontrunner, he declined to talk about his plans.

Rep. Jerry Nadler of New York, who chairs the House Judiciary Committee, told CNN that he wants Pelosi to stay on as leader, but said the caucus will stay united even if she leaves. He did not say who he’d endorse. 

Rep. Gregory Meeks of New York also told CNN about the historic nature of Pelosi’s time as speaker. 

Correction: An earlier version of this post incorrectly stated the state Rep. Jerry Nadler represents.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer and Democratic Caucus Chair Hakeem Jeffries both declined to answer questions Thursday morning about House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who has arrived at the Capitol and is expected to address her future plans later in the day.

Hoyer said he's waiting to hear from Pelosi, but suggested he's spoken to her. 

"I'm not going to make any comments until the speaker does whatever she's going to do," he said. 

When asked if he's spoken to her since last night, he said: "I almost always do, yes."

When Jeffries was asked by CNN if he’s spoken to Pelosi, he did not answer directly, saying "I'm looking forward to what the speaker has to say, either in the whip meeting or later on this afternoon," he said. 

He also dodged a question from another reporter about whether he plans to announce a bid for leader today. 

Following this morning's whip meeting, House Majority Whip Rep. Jim Clyburn praised Pelosi saying he has "absolutely no idea" what her plans for the future will be.

"She has done absolutely great, fantastic. History making in more ways than one," he said of Pelosi.

Hoyer told reporters “the Speaker’s going to make her decision."

On if it’s fair to hold her members in suspense Hoyer said “she’s gonna be fair. This is not a fairness issue this is a — she has to make a decision."

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will “address her future plans” on Thursday, her spokesperson said, at a time when the longtime Democratic leader is at a personal and professional crossroads.

There are two versions of her planned floor speech that she took home Wednesday night, a source told CNN, and it’s unclear which version she will deliver.

Speculation over the California Democrat’s future has intensified in the aftermath of the midterm elections, with some in Washington – including members of her own party – anticipating she may step aside for a new generation of leadership to take the reins after the Democrats lost the House of Representatives. CNN projected Wednesday that Republicans will take control of the chamber in January, though with a smaller margin than they’d hoped.

Pelosi said in a separate statement Wednesday that House Democrats had “defied expectations” in the midterms, but didn’t mention her future plans.

“This year, House Democrats defied expectations with an excellent performance: running their races with courage, optimism and determination. In the next Congress, House Democrats will continue to play a leading role in supporting President Biden’s agenda – with strong leverage over a scant Republican majority,” she wrote.

“House Democrats are thrilled to have so many terrific new and returning Members to the House, who will reinvigorate our Caucus with their energy, diversity and patriotism. We salute our departing Members for their magnificent leadership, achieving landmark progress on health care, climate action, infrastructure, gun violence, veterans and more that can never be diminished."

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