Nancy Pelosi Says She Isn't Retiring

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced Tuesday she will seek reelection, ending speculation that she would retire as Democrats face the threat of losing control of Congress in the 2022 midterms. "While we have made progress, much more needs to be done to improve people’s lives,” the 81-year-old Pelosi said in an online video. "This election is crucial. Nothing less is at stake than our democracy," she added. By announcing she would seek a 19th term, Pelosi avoids becoming a lame duck in a year when Democrats are clinging to a fragile majority in the House and the party is under pressure to raise vast sums of money to defend control of Congress, the AP reports.

Her decision to remain in the chamber follows announcements by 29 House Democrats that they won't seek reelection this year, compared to 13 Republicans as the GOP looks toward taking back the House. The party that controls the White House typically loses seats in Congress in midterm elections, and Democrats are defending both chambers at a time when President Joe Biden's approval rating has been slipping. "Our democracy is at risk because the assault on the truth, assault on the US Capitol and the state-by-state assault on voting rights,” she added. In the video, Pelosi never addresses if she intends to seek another term as the House's Democratic leader, if reelected.

(More Nancy Pelosi stories.)