Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the only woman to lead the House, announces re-election bid

WASHINGTON — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the only woman ever to lead the lower chamber, announced Tuesday she is running for reelection.

A Democrat who has represented California's 12th district in San Francisco since 2013, the outspoken liberal has been reelected 16 times since 1987, when she won a special election for the 5th district.

Pelosi posted a video to her campaign Twitter account Tuesday, dispelling speculation she would not seek a 17th term in the upcoming mid-terms despite pundits' predictions that Republicans are likely to take back the House in November.

"This election is crucial. Nothing less is a stake than our democracy," Pelosi, a Baltimore native, said after mentioning the Jan. 6 insurrection against the Capitol. "But as we say: 'We don't agonize, we organize!' And that is why I am running for reelection for Congress and respectfully seek your support."

The speaker went on to outline a number of issues Congress needs to keep working on, including health care climate change policies, affordable housing and infrastructure.

All are policies addressed in President Joe Biden's $1.75 trillion Build Back Better bill, a wide-ranging progressive proposal that remains stalled in the Senate.

Pelosi also referenced justice in policing and voting rights in her announcement, alluding to a police reform bill that failed to pass the Senate in September and the ongoing fight for voting rights expansions.

More: Pelosi on Jan. 6: 'They would have had a battle on their hands' if the mob had caught her

Pelosi's decision to seek reelection comes as more than two dozen Democratic representatives have announced plans to retire in recent months, complicating her chances of returning as speaker.

Pelosi has not yet announced an intent to seek the role of House Speaker for a fourth term, but most in Congress expect her current tenure will be the last.

Reach out to Chelsey Cox on Twitter at @therealco.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi seeking re-election to Congress