Updated 1:01 PM EST, Thu November 17, 2022

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced on Thursday that she will not run for a leadership post, a move that sets the stage for a major shakeup in House Democratic leadership and marks the end of an era in Washington.

Speculation over the California Democrat’s future had intensified in the aftermath of the midterm elections, with Republicans now set to take control of the chamber in January.

Pelosi is a towering figure in American politics with a history-making legacy of shattering glass ceilings as the first and so far only woman to be speaker of the US House of Representatives.

When she was first elected speaker in 2007, Pelosi reflected on the significance of the event and what it meant for women in the United States.

“This is an historic moment,” she said in a speech after accepting the speaker’s gavel. “It’s an historic moment for the Congress. It’s an historic moment for the women of America.”

Pelosi served in the role until 2011, when Democrats lost control of the House. In 2019, she was again elected speaker after Democrats won back the House from Republicans.