Nancy Pelosi won't say if she'll run for speaker if Democrats keep control of House

WASHINGTON – House Speaker Nancy Pelosi refused to say whether she would run for another term in leadership if Democrats keep control of the chamber in the midterm election.

"Look, right now my focus is on holding the House," Pelosi told reporters Wednesday in a news conference.

When another reporter challenged her on the same question, the California Democrat answered, "I said first we're going to win, and that's really the issue."

Pelosi, 82, became speaker of the House in 2007, the first woman to hold that position. She served until 2011. She was elected again in 2019 and has continued in the role since.

When Pelosi was asked at a news conference in November 2020 how long she planned to stay as House speaker, she said , "There was a move to put limits on leadership and the chairs of the committees. They said they were going to do it; they didn’t do it. Whether it passes or not, I abide by those limits."

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It's unclear what those proposed limits were, but if Pelosi runs again, it would be her fifth term.

Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., recently told Insider he wants to see Pelosi move on.

"There's probably a lot of wisdom to be gained with age," he said. "I just am a believer in people not staying here their whole lives."

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Nancy Pelosi won't say if she'll run for another term as House speaker