Pelosi won’t seek reelection, ending the pioneering congresswoman’s decades of Jewish outreach
Her exit clears a path for Scott Weiner, a Jewish politician who said he would challenge her
US Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi with Knesset Speaker Mickey Levy during a joint statement at the Knesset, the Israeli Parliament in Jerusalem, Feb. 16, 2022. Photo by Olivier Fitoussi/Flash90
(JTA) — Rep. Nancy Pelosi, the long-serving former Speaker of the House, will step down from Congress at the conclusion of her current term in 2027, her 40th year in office.
Pelosi’s retirement caps an historic career in politics that included extensive outreach toward the Jewish community, from the 85-year-old’s home district of San Francisco to the halls of Israel’s Knesset and beyond.
“Because of your trust I was able to represent our city, our country, around the world, with patriotism and pride,” the representative told her home district Thursday in a social media video announcing her decision. “I will not be seeking reelection to Congress. With a grateful heart I look forward to my final year of service as your proud representative.” The Roman Catholic also invoked “the spirit of St. Francis.”
Her replacement could very well be Jewish, as well: California state Sen. Scott Wiener, a co-chair of the state’s Jewish caucus, launched his own bid for Congress weeks before Pelosi’s announcement, saying he would challenge Pelosi if she ran again.
First elected to Congress in 1987, Pelosi was elected speaker in 2007 — the first woman to hold the title. She remained the top House Democrat until stepping down from the leadership role in 2023.
Her father, congressman Thomas D’Alesandro, was active in advocating for a Jewish state in the 1940s. He later became close with Baltimore’s Jewish community in his second political life as that city’s mayor, which meant Nancy often attended bar and bat mitzvahs as a child.
Pelosi carried that spirit into her own time in Congress, visiting Israel and hosting Israeli politicians multiple times. She became especially close with Dalia Itzik, the first woman speaker of the Knesset. Along with most establishment Democrats of the era, she forged close relationships with pro-Israel lobbying giant AIPAC and major pro-Israel donors like Haim Saban, and she would advocate on behalf of Israeli hostages and their families from past regional conflicts.
She also formed bonds with American Jewish leaders including Rabbi David Saperstein, a Reform movement leader who advised her when she first became speaker, and played a key role in elevating the profiles of many Jews in Congress including Reps. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Jamie Raskin and Adam Schiff. Pelosi has several Jewish grandchildren.
She would have faced a formidable challenger in Wiener had she remained in the race — and not just because of growing voter antipathy to long-tenured Democratic leaders. Wiener, who is gay, has sought to inherit the mantle of beloved local Jewish legend Harvey Milk in his progressive politics. The state senator also has notched several victories for California Jews specifically, as his legislative caucus has lobbied the state to create a new office to combat antisemitism in public schools, among other accomplishments.
