Nancy Pelosi to step down as top Democrat after Republicans take US House | World news
Democrat Nancy Pelosi, the first female speaker of the US House of Representatives, said Thursday that she will step down as party leader when Republicans take control of the chamber in January.
“I will not seek a Democratic leadership nomination in the next Congress,” the 82-year-old Pelosi said in an emotional speech on the House floor. “The hour has come for a new generation to lead the Democratic caucus.”
Republicans secured a slim majority in the House in last week’s midterm elections while Democrats retained control of the Senate.
Pelosi’s departure as party leader will mark the end of an era in Washington.
Elected to Congress in 1987, he first became speaker in 2007. Known for keeping a firm grip on party positions, he oversaw both impeachments of Donald Trump during his second term in the role.
Currently second in line to President Joe Biden, Pelosi said last week that her decision on the future will be affected by the vicious attack on her elderly husband near the Nov. 8 midterms.
Paul Pelosi, also 82, was hospitalized with serious injuries after an assailant – possibly the speaker’s presence – entered their San Francisco home and attacked him with a hammer.
Pelosi said she will continue to represent her San Francisco district in the next Congress and praised the Democrats’ better-than-expected performance in the midterm race.
“Last week, the American people spoke and their voices were raised in defense of freedom, of the rule of law and of democracy itself,” he said. “People stand in the crime and they attack the democracy.”
In a statement earlier in the week, he said “House Democrats will continue to play a leading role in supporting President Biden’s agenda – with a strong hold on a Republican majority.”
In greeting top House Republican Kevin McCarthy, Biden said he is “ready to work with House Republicans to save results for working families.”
McCarthy, who had his eye on the speaker’s gavel, said for his part that “Americans are ready for a new direction, and Republicans are ready to deliver.”
And House Republicans immediately said they would use their new power to make Biden’s life more difficult – a press conference to announce plans to investigate the “national security” implications of the president’s family business ties .
– The Speaker’s vote will fill in –
With inflation and Biden’s popularity ratings, Republicans have expected to see a “red wave” on America, giving them control of both houses and thus an effective block on most of Biden’s legislative plans.
But instead, Democratic voters — emboldened by the Supreme Court’s reversal of abortion rights and wary of Trump-endorsed candidates who publicly rejected the outcome of the 2020 election — came out in force.
And Republicans lost ground with candidates rejected by moderate voters as too extreme.
Biden’s party secured an unassailable majority in the upper chamber with 50 seats with Vice President Kamala Harris’ tie-breaking vote, and a Senate race in Georgia could also see Democrats gain an upper house majority.
The Senate oversees the confirmation of federal judges and cabinet members, and having the 100-seat body in its corner would be a huge advantage for Biden.
McCarthy won the Republican Party leadership election by secret ballot on Tuesday, putting her in prime position to be the next speaker.
But potential right-wing defections could further complicate the 57-year path when the House’s 435 newly elected members – Democrats and Republicans – choose their new speaker in January.
