Nancy Pelosi, 83, says she’ll run for reelection in 2024 as Democrats try to win back House majority

SAN FRANCISCO — Ending months of speculation, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced Friday that she will seek reelection to the House in 2024.

“Our values of our city are great. They’re deep, and they respect the dignity and worth of every person. So when we say love, we mean let other version exist. We love everybody. And we really, really want our country to learn that from us,” Pelosi told a cheering crowd of union workers at the Local 38 Plumbers and Steamfitters union hall.

The 83-year-old has represented San Francisco since 1987. She is the first woman elected as Speaker of the House – twice.

“I think it’s important for me to use my knowledge of the Congress, my knowledge of the city, my concern about the country for the benefit of my constituents,” Pelosi said in an exclusive interview following the announcement. “So it was really more responsive, about responsibility.”

The announcement comes less than a year after an armed intruder, looking to take Pelosi hostage, broke into the family’s San Francisco home and attacked her husband, Paul Pelosi.

When asked if she had thought of retiring, Pelosi said: “Well you always do.”

“I mean for 36 years, you always have to measure what the value is of your contribution in something like this, and I’d never thought I’d stay as long as I did,” Pelosi said.

Pelosi is not likely to face only token opposition in the overwhelmingly Democratic city.

Democratic State Senator Scott Wiener – the only “name” politician to publicly talk about running for the seat – had said that he would only enter the race if Pelosi chose to retire.

“Speaker Emerita Pelosi is one of the most talented and transformational leaders in our lifetime,” Wiener said in a statement following Pelosi’s announcement. “It’s a good thing for San Francisco and the nation that she will continue to serve.”