Nancy Pelosi, the US House’s first and only female speaker and a dominant Democratic figure for decades, announced Thursday she will not seek re-election, ending her nearly 40-year

California Rep. Nancy Pelosi announced that she won't be seeking reelection to the House of Representatives, where she has served since 1987 and made history as the only female House speaker

Rep. Nancy Pelosi, the first woman to serve as speaker of the House, announced on Nov. 6 that she would be retiring after 20 terms in Congress. It was a long time coming. Pelosi, 85, said in a video to her constituents that she would not be seeking reelection in 2026 and would leave at the end of her term after nearly four decades in office.

Her tenure was certainly not flawless, but as she retires after nearly four decades in Congress, Emanuel explains why Pelosi is seen as standing alone in the modern era. This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.