Nancy Pelosi’s first term in Congress began in 1987 after winning election to the House of Representatives representing Northern California in 1986. She announced in November 2025 that she will not seek re-election in the 2026 midterm elections. That means that by the time her current term ends in 2027, she will have served 40 years in Congress. Since Pelosi stopped being Speaker of the House of Representatives in 2023, she has been referred to as “speaker emerita” to indicate that while she is no longer speaker, she continues to serve in the House.