Pelosi exits stage left: From the Politics Desk

Welcome to the online version of From the Politics Desk, a newsletter that brings you the NBC News Politics team’s latest reporting and analysis from the White House, Capitol Hill and the campaign trail.

In today’s edition, Scott Wong and Jonathan Allen break down former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s retirement decision. Plus, our campaign team, Congress team and Decision Desk analysts came together to dig into the Latino vote and other exit poll data from Tuesday’s elections.

— Scott Bland

Nancy Pelosi, first female speaker of the House, won't seek re-election to Congress

By Scott Wong and Jonathan Allen

Rep. Nancy Pelosi, who made history as the nation’s first female speaker of the House and twice served in that top job, said Thursday she will not seek re-election in 2026.

“I will not be seeking re-election to Congress. With a grateful heart, I look forward to my final year of service as your proud representative,” Pelosi, 85, said in a video message to San Francisco voters, interlaced with sweeping imagery of the Golden Gate Bridge, the Coit Tower and other landmarks, as well as photos that captured her storied political career.

NBC News reported this week that Democrats in California and on Capitol Hill were preparing for her retirement announcement.

The powerful California Democrat led her party in the House for two decades — from 2002 to 2022 — serving as a crucial ally for Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden, and orchestrating the opposition to Republican Presidents George W. Bush and Donald Trump.

While she had stepped aside as party leader three years ago, she continued to serve in the House as a rank-and-file member, and her Democratic colleagues granted Pelosi the title of “speaker emerita.”

Pelosi had said she would make a decision about her political future after the vote on California’s Prop 50, a ballot measure to adopt a new congressional map drawn by state Democrats to combat GOP redistricting efforts in other states. Upon its passage in Tuesday’s election, Pelosi decided it was time to pass the torch.

Her decision will spark a fierce contest for her liberal, deep-blue San Francisco seat at a moment when Democrats across the country are embracing a new generation of leaders.

Read more here →

4 more insights from this week’s exit polls

By Stephanie Perry

Independents prioritize the economy: Trump built support among independents, especially independent men, in 2024 relative to his margin in 2020. Kamala Harris won independents in 2024 by only 3 points, according to the NBC News Exit Poll, while Joe Biden won them by 13 points in 2020.

In the New Jersey governor’s race, Mikie Sherrill won independents by 13 points, while Abigail Spanberger won them by 16 points in Virginia. Independent women went for the Democratic candidate in both races by 20 and 30 points, while independent men were more divided: +2 for Spanberger in Virginia and +7 for Sherrill in Jersey.

It’s worth pointing out that the electorate in this off-year election isn’t a direct comparison to the presidential electorate last year.

Still, independents make up a third of the electorate, and exit polling found that they prioritized the economy in all four states surveyed.

In Virginia and New Jersey, a majority of independents also said that the Trump administration’s actions on immigration enforcement have gone too far.

The gender gap remains: The Democratic women on both gubernatorial ballots this week won women in their states, by a 24-point margin in New Jersey and a 28-point margin in Virginia. Meanwhile, men went for the Republican candidates in each state, by 2 points in New Jersey and by 6 points in Virginia.

There was a 20-point gender gap in 2024, which held steady from recent presidential years.

The economy was at the top of the issue list for everyone, but there was a gender divide when it comes to personal finances. Majorities of everyone said they’re holding steady financially, but women were more likely to say they’re falling behind, and men were more likely than women to say they’re getting ahead.

Young voters, including young men, favor Democrats: In the last presidential election, Trump made a major improvement among young men, winning 49% of their votes to 48% for Harris. Those men prioritized the economy as their most important issue in 2024.

In the gubernatorial and mayoral races this year, young men still prioritized the economy — but they voted for the Democrats.

First-time voters supported the Democrats, too: In 2024, first-time voters broke for Trump over Harris by an 11-point margin, a reversal from 2020, when they supported Biden by 32 points over Trump.

This year, 11% of voters in New Jersey voted for governor for the first time, and Sherrill won those voters by 37 points.

In New York City, 18% were first-time voters and they voted for Zohran Mamdani by 36 points.

That’s all From the Politics Desk for now. Today’s newsletter was compiled by Adam Wollner.

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