While Republicans have often tried to tar Pelosi as an out-of-touch San Franciscan, she’s never shied away from representing the city. For years, she has proudly wielded a rainbow gavel in the city’s annual Pride Parade, and spoke openly of a need to frequent San Francisco’s Chinatown businesses, even as anti-Asian hate and COVID-19 fears began to swell early in the pandemic.
“I come here quite a bit. We’re a big dim sum family. And, part of our Thanksgiving celebration is always to have dim sum,” she said in February 2020. “So, I feel very at home here.”
California Gov. Gavin Newsom touched on her commitment to local issues, in a statement, saying “During her three decades of service in the House, Speaker Pelosi has shaped California and the nation for the better — and generations to come will benefit from her work.”
Despite her larger-than-life career, or perhaps because of it, rumors of Pelosi’s departure from public office have surfaced for years, ebbing and flowing alongside Democrats’ power in Washington. A bevy of San Francisco Democrats have long been floated as potential runners for her congressional seat when she retires, including state Sen. Scott Wiener, former city Supervisor Jane Kim, and Christine Pelosi, the speaker’s daughter.
“As always, Nancy Pelosi moves with grace and strength,” Wiener said in a statement Thursday, shortly after her announcement. “She’s playing an essential role saving our democracy. She’s devoted her life to the people of San Francisco. She’s one of the great leaders in American history. Thank you, Madame Speaker, for your continued service.”
Kim said, “San Francisco is very lucky to have a representative like Speaker Pelosi. She’s been a tremendous leader since her early days, fighting for much-needed funding for the AIDS crisis here in San Francisco to pushing back against the Trump presidency and fighting for our democracy. I think there are very few people in our country who are as skilled as a tactician and strategist as she is.”
Those whispers of retirement grew considerably louder last month after an attacker, allegedly energized by right-wing conspiracy theories, invaded her Pacific Heights home and bludgeoned her husband, Paul Pelosi, with a hammer, fracturing his skull.
On the House floor, Pelosi only briefly touched on the assault, thanking her colleagues for their support.
“Thank you. We are grateful for all the prayers and well-wishes as he continues his recovery. Thank you so much,” she said.
While her political life blossomed in San Francisco, Pelosi hails from Baltimore. She was raised in a political family: Her father, Thomas D’Alesandro Jr., was a congressman and served as mayor of Baltimore, as did her brother, Thomas D’Alesandro III.
A devout Catholic, Pelosi brought that spirit of faith and public service to San Francisco when she moved there with her husband in 1969. The couple had four daughters and a son within six years. But even as a young mother, Pelosi carved out time to volunteer for Democratic candidates.
She later became chair of the California Democratic Party and, in that role, lured the Democratic National Convention to San Francisco in 1984. Two years later, she helped Democrats win back the Senate by chairing their national fundraising efforts.