Former U.S. House Speaker Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) announced on Nov. 6, 2025, that she will not seek re-election to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2026.

In a video announcing her retirement, Pelosi said, "I want you, my fellow San Franciscans, to be the first to know. I will not be seeking re-election to Congress. With a grateful heart, I look forward to my final year of service as your proud representative. As we go forward, my message to the city I love is this: San Francisco, know your power.”

In 1987, Pelosi ran in a special election for the U.S. House in California’s 5th Congressional District following the death of then-Rep. Sala Burton (D-Calif.). In the special election, Pelosi defeated Harriet Ross (R) 63% to 31%. Pelosi won re-election in the district by 57 percentage points in 1988 and 54 percentage points in 1990.

During Pelosi's tenure in the U.S. House, she also represented three other iterations of a San Francisco-based district due to redistricting. Here's a look at his electoral history in each of those districts:

• California’s 8th Congressional District (represented from 1993 - 2013): Pelosi won by a median of 70.5 percentage points in her four re-election bids in which she ran with major party opposition in the district. Pelosi’s widest margin of victory (MOV) in the district was in 1998, when she won by 74 percentage points. Her narrowest MOV in the district was in 2008 when she won by 56 percentage points.
• California’s 12th Congressional District (represented from 2013 - 2023): Pelosi won by a median of 68.5 percentage points in her four re-election bids in which she ran with major party opposition in the district. She ran without major party opposition in 2016. Pelosi’s widest MOV in the district was in 2018, when she won by 74 percentage points. Her narrowest MOV in the district was in 2020 when she won by 55 percentage points.
• California’s 11th Congressional District (represented since 2023): Pelosi won the district by 68 percentage points in 2022 and 62 percentage points in 2024.

During Pelosi’s tenure in the U.S. House, she served in multiple leadership positions. From 2002 to 2003, Pelosi served as House minority whip. In 2003, she became leader of the House Democratic Caucus, a position she held until 2023.

After Democrats gained a majority in the U.S. House in the 2006 general elections, Pelosi became the first woman to serve as Speaker of the House. Her first speakership ended after Democrats lost a majority in the U.S. House in the 2010 general elections. Pelosi’s second speakership began in 2019 and ended in 2023.

As of Nov. 4, 2025, independent race forecasters The Cook Political Report and Inside Elections have rated the 2026 general election for the district as Solid Democratic. Sabato’s Crystal Ball rated it Safe Democratic.

As of Nov. 6, 2025, Garcia is one of 42 members of the U.S. Congress—eight U.S. Senate members and 34 U.S. House members—who have announced they will not seek re-election to their current seats in 2026.

Of the 34 representatives not seeking re-election:

• Eleven—eight Democrats and three Republicans—are retiring from public office.
• Twelve—six Democrats and six Republicans—are running for the U.S. Senate.
• Ten—all Republicans—are running for governor.
• One Republican is running for state attorney general.

Compared to the last four election cycles, there were 25 retirement announcements at this point in 2024, 24 in 2022, 27 in 2020, and 31 in 2018.

Between January 2011 to November 2025, Ballotpedia followed 335 announcements from U.S. House members who announced they would not seek re-election. January had the highest number of members announcing they would not run for re-election at 57. The fewest announcements took place in June at 15.