Thursday 17 November 2022 04:17 PM Nancy Pelosi arrives at Capitol to announce future plans after Republicans win ... trends now
Nancy Pelosi arrived in the Capitol on Thursday giving no hint as to whether she has decided to stay in Democratic leadership or if she will step down after two decades of service.
Wearing a white suit - the color of suffragettes - Pelosi, 82, smiled as she walked into the speaker's office but didn't answer questions about what is next for her.
Pelosi will announce her plans from the House floor at 12:10 pm, her spokesperson said. Aides have cautioned that she keeps her own councel and not to predict what she will do. Last night, she took home two versions of her speech with her.
There has been talk she may stay in Congress in a sort of emeritus role that would give her an advisor status - both to Democrats in the House and to President Joe Biden.
Pelosi, four years ago, pledged not to seek to lead her party past January 2023. But she is unlikely to leave Congress just weeks after voters in her district elected her to another two-year term.
If she steps down as leader, Democrats would have to decide how to replace her as their House leader but her would be successors have avoided any public jockeying as they await Pelosi to formally announce her plans.
Pelosi's two longtime lieutenants - Majority Leader Steny Hoyer of Maryland and Democratic Whip James Clyburn of South Carolina - are also in their 80s and making decisions about their futures.
Both said Thursday morning they plan to stay involved in leadership but didn't say if they would try for the top spot.
Many think New York Representative Hakeem Jeffries, the chair of the House Democratic caucus, would move to be the next party leader.
Jeffries, 52, is a leader among the next generation of lawmakers, who have been pushing for the older generation to step aside to make room for a new crop of leaders.
He refused to talk about his next steps on Thursday morning. He came out of a meeting of party leadership, which Pelosi did not attend, saying he looked forward to hearing from her on her next steps.
He also called Pelosi a 'legendary leader.'
Speaker Nancy Pelosi arrives in the Capitol on Thursday morning, giving no hints as to her decision about her future
Nancy Pelosi has been a leader in Democratic politics for more than two decades
Nancy Pelosi and her husband Paul at a 2007 event in New York City, Paul Pelosi is recovering from a brutal attack
New York Representative Hakeem Jeffries, the chair of the House Democratic caucus, is expected to run for leader if Pelosi steps down
Nancy Pelosi first became speaker of the House in 2007, she's shown above after her swearing in, surrounded by her grandchildren and the children of other members of Congress
Nancy Pelosi and Donald Trump clashed frequently when they were in power - above Pelosi claps for his arrival for his 2019 State of the Union address
Nancy Pelosi in 1987, the night she won a special election to Congress
Democrats are set to hold party leadership elections on November 30.
Her decision on her future plans also comes in the aftermath of a brutal attack on her husband, Paul Pelosi. Paul Pelosi is still recovering from being attacked by a hammer from a man who broke into their San Francisco home, looking for the speaker, who was not there.
Pelosi also decided to make her announcement after Republicans officially won control of the House on Wednesday. The
