Democrats are quietly readying themselves for the likely exit of Nancy Pelosi — the party’s longtime power broker, fundraising juggernaut and Trump foil — as whispers grow she’ll hang it up after Tuesday’s elections.
Pelosi, 85, is expected to signal her plans once California voters weigh in on “Proposition 50,” a redistricting push she’s been championing that Democrats hope will pad their House numbers next November.
Multiple California and Capitol Hill Democrats told NBC News they believe the San Francisco icon won’t run again in 2026, ending nearly four decades in Congress.
“I wish she would stay for 10 more years,” one California Democrat said. “I think she’s out. She’s going to go out with Prop 50 overwhelmingly passing, and what a crowning achievement for her to do that.”
If she steps aside, it would close the book on a historic run for the first woman Speaker of the House.
It would also light the fuse on an all-out fight for her seat in deep-blue San Francisco.
Notably, Pelosi hasn’t blocked two Democrats already eyeing her district — state Sen. Scott Wiener and ex-tech exec Saikat Chakrabarti, a former top aide to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. And she’s sitting on more than $1.5 million cash despite raising over $2 million this cycle — a serious war chest, but not one signaling a long campaign ahead.
At a recent California delegation gathering, Pelosi also reportedly said that she looked forward to watching Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries sworn in as the first Black speaker — “if she’s still allowed on the floor,” according to a source.
“I think she’s preparing to exit the stage,” a Democratic leadership aide said. “We will not fully appreciate the time we have spent with her” until she’s gone.
Bay Area insiders are reading the same tea leaves. “Most people think it is highly unlikely that she will run for another term,” one local Democratic elected official said.
Pelosi’s office responded to the report with a vague message urging Californians to vote with her on Proposition 50 in this week’s elections.
”Speaker Pelosi is fully focused on her mission to win the Yes on 50 special election in California on Tuesday,” spokesman Ian Krager said. “She urges all Californians to join in that mission on the path to taking back the House for Democrats.”
The Pelosi era may be nearing its final act, and Democrats are already feeling the void.
