Nancy Pelosi, the former speaker of the House of Representatives, is expected to announce her retirement, according to reports.
Mrs Pelosi, who was first elected to Congress during Ronald Reagan’s presidency, remains hugely influential in the Democratic Party.
The 85-year-old has remained tight-lipped about her political future, but many in the party believe she is about to bring her five-decade career to a close.
“I wish she would stay for 10 more years,” a California Democrat in the House told NBC, but added: “I think she’s out.”
Referring to Tuesday’s vote on redistricting California, which could net the Democrats an additional five seats in the 2026 midterms, the Democrat continued: “She’s going to go out with Prop 50 overwhelmingly passing, and what a crowning achievement for her to do that.”
A House Democratic leadership aide said of Mrs Pelosi: “I think she’s preparing to exit the stage.”
The individual added that the Party “will not fully appreciate the time we have spent with her” until she’s gone.
“Most people think it is highly unlikely that she will run for another term,” a Democrat official in California said.
End of an era
Mrs Pelosi reportedly suggested recently she might not be on the House floor to watch Hakeem Jeffries, currently the Democrat leader in the chamber, sworn in as the first black speaker after next year’s mid-terms.
She also does not appear to be campaigning against two Democrats who have entered the primary in her district, San Francisco.
If Mrs Pelosi does indeed draw an end to her political career, it will mark an end of an era in Congress in which she kept an iron grip on her caucus.
As speaker during Barack Obama’s administration, she is credited with marshalling votes to pass landmark legislation such as the Affordable Care Act, along with massive spending projects during Joe Biden’s single term.
