Nancy Pelosi, the first woman to lead the U.S. House of Representatives, announced Thursday that she will not run for reelection in 2026, ending a nearly four-decade career.

The 85-year-old lawmaker, first elected in 1987, made her announcement two days after California voters overwhelmingly approved “Proposition 50,” a redistricting effort aimed at flipping five House seats to Democrats in next year’s midterm elections.

“I will not be seeking reelection to Congress. With a grateful heart, I look forward to my final year of service,” Pelosi said in social media posts.

Pelosi has long been at the centre of major political clashes, particularly with President Donald Trump. She led two impeachment efforts against him and often exchanged sharp words during his term.

Trump, reacting to her retirement, said, “I think she was a tremendous liability to the country. I thought she was an evil woman who did a poor job across the country, a lot in damages and reputation. I thought she was terrible.”

Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Trump ally, offered a different tone: “She had an incredible career for her party. I wish we could get things done for our party like Nancy Pelosi was able to deliver for her party.”

Asked in 2022 whether she had regrets, Pelosi responded poorly by saying she wished she had “won more elections to deny Republicans power and to make sure that a creature like Donald Trump never became president of the United States.”

Among her achievements, Pelosi cites helping pass the Affordable Care Act as her greatest: healthcare, she said, “became our big issue and that will be the biggest thing that I’ve ever done in Congress.”