Nancy Pelosi Expresses Hopes for Her Re-election amid Possible Majority Loss

SCOTT APPLEWHITE/POOL/AFP via Getty U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi

As her party faces the prospect of losing control of the House of Representatives in November's midterm elections, Speaker Nancy Pelosi is expressing hope for her own re-election — and staying mum about the future after that.

In a video posted to Twitter on Tuesday, the 81-year-old Democratic leader made her pitch to voters: "While we've made progress, much more needs to be done to improve people's lives. Our democracy is at risk because of assault on the truth, assaults on the U.S. Capitol and the state-by-state assault on voting rights."

She continued: "As we say, we don't agonize, we organize, and that is why I am running for re-election to Congress and respectfully seek your support."

With the Democrats' majority potentially hanging in the balance, it's unclear if Pelosi plans to another term as speaker should her party remain in party.

At 81, she is one of the longest-serving lawmakers in Congress, which she first joined in 1987 following a special election in San Francisco.

Since first assuming the speakership in 2007 — the first woman to do so — she has become increasingly key to the Democrats' legislative agenda, helping marshal through bills like the Affordable Care Act and, more recently, a bipartisan funding proposal for infrastructure.

That profile, her California-liberal roots and outspoken criticism of Presidents George W. Bush and Donald Trump also made her a favored target among conservatives. ("An incompetent political hack!" Trump once tweeted about her.)

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An election win in 2022 would precede an 18th full term for Pelosi, who held the speaker's gavel from 2007 until Republicans retook the House majority in 2011; she returned to the leadership role after the 2018 midterms. She's the only woman to hold the position, the third highest-ranking role in the government.

Pelosi's longevity has lately fueled disapproval among some of her Democratic colleagues who would like to see new faces in leadership; others have said she is weighted with too much stigma from years of Republican criticism.

In 2018, she agreed to only serve two more terms in the role, raising questions about what her re-election might mean for House leadership.

As speaker, Pelosi oversaw both of Trump's impeachment trials.

RELATED: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi Is Reportedly Planning to Run for Re-election in 2022

She again called for his removal from office following the deadly riots at the U.S. Capitol last January, telling 60 Minutes that he was "a deranged, unhinged, dangerous" person.

Speaking to members of Congress as she gavelled the House into session during the second trial, Pelosi said: "We know that the president of the United States incited this insurrection. He must go. He is a clear and present danger to the nation that we all love."

Trump was eventually impeached by the House (for the second time while in office) for his role in inciting the riots, but he was acquitted by the Senate.

Caroline Brehman/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty House Speaker Nancy Pelosi

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Democrats currently hold a narrow majority in the House, with 222 seats to the 212 held by Republicans. Polls indicate upcoming midterm elections could make that majority even slimmer — or see it lost outright — amid President Joe Biden's weakening approval ratings and ongoing problems with inflation and the pandemic.

Pelosi is one of a small number of seasoned lawmakers in the House — including 82-year-old Steny Hoyer and 81-year-old Jim Clyburn — to announce they would seek re-election.