Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), the former Speaker and longtime Democratic House leader, said she is confident that she would win reelection if she decided to run again in 2026.
“I have no doubt that if I decided to run, I would win,” Pelosi told CNN in an interview that aired Monday. “That isn’t even a question.”
“It isn’t arrogant. It’s confident. I know my district,” she continued. “I live here. I’m with them all the- much of the time. They’ve given me the latitude, when I was Speaker and leader, to be around the country and around the world, and I’m grateful to them for that, but I’d always keep the home fires burning, as I have always done.”
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New reporting on Monday suggested that multiple California and House Democrats believe she will not seek reelection.
Pelosi has said she will not make a decision about running for a 21st term in the House until after the 2025 election, when voters in California will help decide the fate of a mid-decade redistricting push.
In the CNN interview, Pelosi brushed off the threat of a primary challenge, as well as the public speculation about her professional future, saying it’s a “lovely thing” to see her supporters rally behind her when questions arise about a potential reelection bid.
“First of all, when people start, as in the press, speculating: ‘Is she going to run? Is she not going to run?’ Other people file or say they’re going to run — you know what that does? That gives me so much support,” Pelosi said in the interview, when asked about her 2026 plans.
“People calling me saying, ‘I’m for you, I’m for you, I’m for you,’ representing organizations, representing communities that some of these people are leaders in, by calling and saying, ‘If you go, I’m with you,’” she continued.
The California Democrat added, “So it’s a lovely thing to see, as a friendship.”
Pelosi, 85, filed for reelection shortly after securing a 20th term in November 2024. But she has not publicly announced her intention to run again to represent the Golden State’s 11th district.
Multiple challengers have entered the Democratic primary in Pelosi’s district, including state Sen. Scott Wiener and Saikat Chakrabarti, a former chief of staff to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.).
The former Speaker, an outspoken critic of President Trump, announced she would step down from party leadership after the Democrats lost the House in 2022, but she has remained in the legislative body as a member, while a new generation of Democrats have taken up the leadership mantle.
