Pelosi steps down from House leadership

House Majority leader Nancy Pelosi said on Thursday that she would still serve in the next Congress. Pelosi has led the Democratic party in the House for nearly 20 years. She is the first woman to serve as Speaker of the House. She is also the only person to be elected to the role twice. Her announcement comes less than a month after her husband was attacked at their home in San Francisco.

Why is she still staying on? It is unusual for a former speaker to continue serving in Congress after abdicating their leadership role. On Thursday afternoon, Pelosi said that it was time for a new generation to lead the Democratic caucus. Pelosi and the other Democratic leaders might become emeritus leaders and pass the official leadership batons to new Democrats, such as Reps. Hakeem Jeffries of New York, Katherine Clark of Massachusetts, and Pete Aguilar of California.

Dig deeper: Listen to Mary Reichard’s discussion with Matt Klink on The World and Everything in It podcast about the red wave that never was.