US-EYE
NANCY PELOSI didn’t run for public office until she was 47, when the last of her five kids hit adolescence. Since then, though, she has certainly put in a shift, racking up 38 years in Congress, where she became the first female speaker.
At 85, Pelosi is now retiring from California’s 11th congressional district, which covers San Francisco. Her decision is worth studying for several reasons. In July 2024, Pelosi was key to forcing Joe Biden out of the presidential contest, wielding a stiletto with her usual steely grace. “I want him to do whatever he decides to do,” she told MSNBC after his disastrous debate, signalling to other Democrats that the issue wasn’t settled, as Biden himself had claimed.