House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday she will step down from her leadership role, ending a 20-year reign leading House Democrats with an iron grip and breaking barriers as the first woman speaker.
Her announcement on the House floor came a day after Republicans claimed a majority in the House in the next congressional term.
“The House will be in order,” said Pelosi, wearing a white pantsuit and her signature Mace of the Republic brooch. As she walked to the well of the floor and took the podium, she got a round of applause from her colleagues.
Her decision comes after her party was able to halt an expected Republican wave in the House though Republicans will still have a majority, albeit much narrower than forecasted. Her announcement also comes weeks after a brutal attack on her husband, Paul, last month in their San Francisco home.
Pelosi’s departure on Jan. 3 will presage Democratic fight to pick a successor
Pelosi will remain speaker until Jan. 3 when a new Congress is sworn in and Republicans will have the majority.
Kevin McCarthy is the presumptive favorite to assume the gavel after House GOP lawmakers nominated him for the position Tuesday.
Her departure will leave a leadership vacuum among Democrats.
New York Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, chair of the House Democratic Caucus is viewed as the frontrunner to succeed Pelosi as Democratic.
Source: usatoday.com