Nancy Pelosi refuses to say whether she would seek another term as Speaker of the House: 'First we win, then we decide'
- Nancy Pelosi refused to say on Wednesday whether she would seek another term as Speaker of the House.
- She predicts Democrats will hold the chamber, raising questions about whether she'll stay atop the caucus.
Asked on Wednesday whether she would seek another term as Speaker of the House if Democrats retained the chamber, Democratic Rep. Nancy Pelosi of California pointedly refused to answer the question.
Noting the Speaker's prediction that Democrats will pick up seats in the House this year — along with broad calls for generational change — Insider asked Pelosi at her weekly press conference if she planned to remain in her post if House Democrats emerge victorious in the November midterm elections.
"Not after that glorious introduction you gave," she quipped. "Look, right now, my focus is on holding the House."
Pelosi proceeded to explain why she believes Democrats will retain the majority, speaking about the political ramifications about the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade and the January 6 Attack on the US Capitol.
But she didn't elaborate further until Washington Post columnist Paul Kane followed up on Insider's question about her own future.
"No. I said first we're going to win, and that's really the issue" she said, before Kane challenged her again, prompting a long pause.
"Did you not — are we speaking a different language?" she said. "First we win, then we decide."
Following the press conference, Pelosi jokingly chided Kane: "I thought you were a responsible journalist."
Pelosi, 82, has served as Speaker since 2019, and previously served in that same role from 2007 to 2011.
Pelosi's refusal to answer the question doesn't mean she won't seek another term, but the reticence to discuss her future publicly signals that the topic remains sensitive, either personally or politically.
Insider recently published a project on America's aging political class entitled "Red, White, and Gray," which explores the effects of that aging on American democracy.
Among Insider's findings is that the median age of Congress is now above 60 — a significant jump from 1990, when the median age was just over 53 years old.