Nancy Pelosi bids goodbye to her leadership era

Nancy Pelosi planned to relinquish the speaker's gavel on January 3 if Republican lawmakers won a majority in the House in the 2022 midterm elections. The politician will return to Congress as a representative and complete the remainder of her term.

Pelosi, a Democrat from California, was the House Speaker until she announced her resignation on Tuesday. Both conservatives and liberals voiced their opinions on her.

Her two-decade reign as the top Democrat in the House of Representatives came to an end with her announcement in November following the election results that she would step down from her leadership position.

During a speech she gave at the time, Pelosi stated, "For me, the hour has come for a new generation to lead the Democratic Congress that I so deeply respect. And I am grateful that so many are ready and willing to shoulder this awesome responsibility."

The Speaker congratulated her colleagues in Congress as well as the residents of her constituency in a message she released on Tuesday, stating, "I am humbled by the faith placed in me by the House Democratic Caucus – the greatest collection of intellect, integrity and imagination assembled for the good of the American people. I am thankful to the people of San Francisco whom I will continue to serve, striving to honor the call of the patron saint of our city, Saint Francis: ‘Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace."