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The Wall Street Journal. FollowView Profile Nancy Pelosi to Step Down as Democratic Party Leader in House Natalie Andrews - 39m ago WASHINGTON—House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) said she wouldn’t seek to remain Democratic leader after her party lost control of the House in the midterms but would continue to serve in Congress. Nancy Pelosi to Step Down as Democratic Party Leader in House© denis lovrovic/Agence France-Presse/Getty Images “I will not seek re-election to Democratic leadership in the next Congress,” she said on the House floor in a speech that recounted her career. “For me, the hour’s come for a new generation to lead the Democratic caucus that I so deeply respect.” The first woman to serve as speaker received a lengthy standing ovation from Democrats and Republicans and was embraced by lawmakers after the speech. On Wednesday evening, Republicans clinched a narrow majority of seats in the House with a victory in California, ending two years of Democratic control of both chambers of Congress and the White House. Democrats will continue to control the Senate. Democratic Caucus Chairman Hakeem Jeffries of New York is seen as the front runner to lead the caucus now that Mrs. Pelosi is stepping aside. He had been holding meetings with colleagues and testing their support, according to lawmakers and aides. Another potential candidate, Rep. Adam Schiff of California, has taken himself out of the running. Mrs. Pelosi entered the House chamber wearing a white suit, a color she and other women in Congress have embraced for past major events due to its association with the suffragist movement. The daughter of a Maryland congressman, she recalled riding in the car with her brothers into Washington when she was a young girl. “They were thrilled and jumping up and down and saying to me, ‘Nancy, look, there’s the Capitol.’ And every time I’d say, ‘I don’t see any capital. Is it a capital A? A capital B? Or a capital C?’ And finally, I saw it.” She highlighted work with President Biden and past presidents of both parties on major energy, climate and healthcare legislation. She also reflected on the results of the midterms, the first nationwide election after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol by supporters of then-President Donald Trump. “With these elections the people stood in the breach and repelled the assault on democracy,” she said. Related video: Nancy Pelosi expected to announce 'future plans' after GOP wins House She also cited the growing diversity of Congress in her decades there, citing higher numbers of women and members of minority groups. When she arrived in Congress, there were 23 women in the House. In the most recent Congress, there were 123 women, with 91 Democrats and 32 Republicans. She said she would continue to represent her district. “There is no greater official honor for me than to stand on this floor and to speak for the people of San Francisco,” she said. Her decision had been closely held. Mrs. Pelosi’s spokesman, Drew Hammill, said in a tweet Thursday that Mrs. Pelosi had prepared two versions of a speech Wednesday night. Lawmakers at the Capitol on Thursday morning said they didn’t know what she planned to say. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R., Calif.) is set to take over from Mrs. Pelosi as speaker in the next Congress, if he can keep his caucus mostly united. For years, Mrs. Pelosi was a political target for Republicans, who campaigned in many areas with the slogan “fire Pelosi” and regularly referenced her in attack ads. “It’s official. One-party Democrat rule in Washington is finished. We have fired Nancy Pelosi,” said Mr. McCarthy on Fox News on Wednesday. Headed into the election, Republicans had been heavily favored to win the House, due to voter concerns about the economy and crime, as well as President Biden’s low approval ratings and the historical tendency of the party that controls the White House to lose seats in the midterms. While the GOP did win the majority, their gains were less than expected, which analysts and lawmakers attributed to independent voters’ concerns over abortion access as well as Republicans’ messaging on issues such as election fraud and the influence of former President Donald Trump. The results were seen as potentially changing the calculation for Democratic leaders’ plans, as the minority could potentially have greater power in a narrowly controlled chamber. Mrs. Pelosi, 82 years old, had pledged when Democrats last took the majority, in 2019, to serve just two more terms as speaker, which ends with this Congress. Also in question are the futures of her two top deputies, Reps. Steny Hoyer, 83, of Maryland and Jim Clyburn, 82, of South Carolina. Asked about his plans Thursday as he walked into a Democratic party meeting, Mr. Hoyer said: “I’m going to wait for the speaker to make hers … I’m not going to say anymore. It’s premature.” The California Democrat was the first woman to become speaker of the House and the first speaker to lose and regain the gavel in more than 60 years. Her ability to count votes and twist arms is venerated, even by her opponents who had to at times seek her out to pass legislation. She clashed repeatedly with Mr. Trump, at one point dramatically tearing up the text of his State of the Union speech at the conclusion of his address. Under her leadership, Democrats impeached him twice; he was acquitted in the Senate. She led House Democrats in passing the party’s legislative accomplishments in recent years, such as the Affordable Care Act under former President Barack Obama and sweeping Covid-19 aid, healthcare, climate change and social policy packages under President Biden, as well as a bipartisan infrastructure bill. The announcement came just weeks after her husband, Paul Pelosi, was attacked in the couple’s San Francisco home, requiring surgery and time in intensive care. Mrs. Pelosi said earlier that the attack would influence her decision.