Photo: JIM WATSON / AFP / Getty Images
The first ever female Speaker of the US House of Representatives is leaving Washington at the end of her term.
In a video posted to social media on Thursday, Nancy Pelosi announced she would not run for re-election.
"I will not be seeking re-election to Congress. With a grateful heart, I look forward to my final year of service as your proud representative," Pelosi, 85, said in her video message to San Francisco voters, interlaced with sweeping imagery of the Golden Gate Bridge, the Coit Tower and other landmarks, as well as photos that captured her storied political career.
A former chair of the California Democratic Party, Pelosi was first elected to the House in a special election in 1987.