"Thank you, Speaker Pelosi": Minnesota lawmakers on House Dem leader stepping down
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House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will not seek a leadership position in the new congress. That decision comes after CBS News projected the Republican party has secured the 218 seats needed to win the majority in the House.
Pelosi will remain in the House after winning a 19th term last week, assuming a lower-profile role when the next Congress convenes in January.
The decision by Pelosi to clear the way for a new generation of lawmakers to run the caucus puts an end to months of speculation about her political future. It also follows the violent attack on her husband Paul Pelosi, of which Pelosi herself was the target, at their San Francisco home last month, which the speaker told CNN would influence whether she would step aside.
Since her election to Congress in 1987, Pelosi has risen through the ranks of House Democratic leadership, serving as minority whip — her election to that position made Pelosi the highest-ranking woman in congressional history — and then House Democratic leader, a role she has held since 2003.
In 2007, she made history as the first woman to be elected speaker of the House when Democrats took the majority. She has served four nonconsecutive terms as speaker since, uniting an often fractious Democratic caucus to pass some of the most consequential legislation in recent history under the Obama and Biden administrations.
Sen. Amy Klobuchar: "She has always fought for the American people"
Rep. Ilhan Omar: "I am proud to call her a mentor and a friend"
Rep. Ilhan Omar, from Minnesota's 5th Congressional District, issued the following statement:
"Four years ago, when I arrived in Washington to be sworn into Congress, with many firsts next to my name, my father was beaming. It wasn't just that I was going to serve in the United States Congress, it was that I was serving with this Speaker of the House.
"Nancy Pelosi is a first among firsts—the first woman to ever serve as Speaker of the House and the first to lead any party in any chamber of the U.S. Congress.
"As I began to get involved in politics as a young refugee, she served as a beacon of hope to me and my family, a reminder that anything is possible in the United States of America.
"One of my great joys as a Member was traveling to Ghana with the Speaker in 2019 during the 400th anniversary of slavery in our country. As supporters of the President of the United States chanted calls of 'send her back' at a rally, she invited me personally to join her on this trip, to represent how far we have come as a country.
"It has been a deep honor to serve with her directly in the House—to see her skills as a strategist and vote-counter up close, and to learn directly from her wisdom and experience. She has taught me how to hold your head up high and show up to do the work—even when your life is at risk. I am proud to call her a mentor and a friend.
"I only wish my father could be here today to thank her for her service and leadership."
Rep. Dean Phillips: "I honor Speaker Pelosi's service to our country"
Rep. Dean Phillips, representing the state's 3rd Congressional District, issued the following statement:
"Speaker Pelosi's decision to pass the torch to a new generation of leadership in the Democratic Caucus is the right and honorable one. As the first female Speaker of the House and one of the most successful of all time, I honor Speaker Pelosi's service to our country and our Congress – especially over these extraordinarily difficult past four years. It is now time to look to the future, and I believe Hakeem Jeffries is the right leader at the right time for our party and our nation. I will enthusiastically support his candidacy and will do anything and everything I can to help him introduce our historically diverse and remarkably talented caucus to the American people as we work together to move our country forward in the 118th Congress."
Rep. Betty McCollum: "This country would be a very different place if not for her strong leadership"
Rep. Betty McCollum, of Minnesota's 4th Congressional District, shared the following statement:
"Nancy Pelosi has been an amazing Speaker of the House and will go down in history as one of our nation's most effective and influential Speakers. What makes Speaker Pelosi unique is not just her leadership during tumultuous times, but her integrity and her character. I first met Nancy Pelosi as a candidate for Congress in 2000. I admired her then, joining a House of Representatives made up of just 13 percent women. As the first woman to serve as Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, her accomplishments are many: Her instrumental leadership in passing the Affordable Care Act, leading our caucus through the COVID-19 pandemic and all its uncertainties, and passing the largest infrastructure and climate change investments in our nation's history—the list goes on and on. As we have worked together throughout the years on our shared priorities of expanding health care access, promoting human rights, and creating better, brighter futures for our children, our friendship has grown, and she remains a close friend and trusted partner in this work.
"I was asked to participated in congressional delegations Speaker Pelosi led, including a 2017 trip to India, Nepal, Germany, and Belgium, meeting the estimable Dalai Lama; to the 2021 COP26 global climate conference in Glasgow; and, as Chair of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, to the Munich Security Conference in early 2022 while Russia was gearing up to attack Ukraine. Speaker Pelosi's courage and fortitude in defending democracy both internationally and here at home has been unmatched. She took on the unconscionable and at times horrifying abuses of the Trump administration and never backed down in the face of that president's abhorrent threats to our democracy, including on January 6th, 2021. Under her leadership, she shepherded the House through two impeachments, and entrusted me to lead impeachment proceedings on the House Floor on January 13, 2021 to hold the president accountable for his malfeasance in office.
"Nancy has always reminded us what's important, and how the votes we cast impact the people we serve. Above all, Speaker Pelosi has always been focused on working For the Children – keeping their interests top of mind throughout her decades of service. As she retires as Speaker, I'm so grateful for her legacy and I hope to continue to keep her ethos at the forefront of all we do in the 118th Congress and beyond. I offer my sincere thanks and congratulations, and I look forward to continuing to serve with her in Congress. This country would be a very different place if not for her strong leadership. Thank you, Speaker Pelosi!"
