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68-528: Annunziata D’Alesandro (née Lombardi), the mother of Nancy Pelosi , was born in Fornelli in 1909. This article on a location in Molise is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Nancy Pelosi Nancy Patricia Pelosi ( / p ə ˈ l oʊ s i / pə- LOH -see ; née   D'Alesandro ; born March 26, 1940) is an American politician who served as the 52nd speaker of

136-475: A special election to fill the remainder of her husband's congressional term. She was then reelected to two more terms in her own right. Burton became ill with cancer in late 1986 and decided not to run for reelection in 1988. She wanted Pelosi to succeed her, guaranteeing Pelosi the support of the Burtons' contacts. Burton died on February 1, 1987, one month after being sworn in for a second full term. Pelosi won

204-596: A "horrible approval rating with the rest of America". Bresnahan wrote that Pelosi's leadership and the legislative agenda she advanced had significantly contributed to the party's loss of its House majority, citing the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act as an example of legislation that hurt the Democrats electorally in 2010. Bresnahan also believed that, ahead of the 2010 elections, Pelosi had "disastrously" misread public opinion, and that Pelosi had been

272-624: A Democratic-controlled Senate. This configuration was also in place for most of the 107th Congress, but on account of Senator Jim Jeffords ' party switch rather than the election results. Candidates and voters in 2010 focused on national economic conditions and the economic policies of the Obama administration and congressional Democrats. Attention was paid to public anger over the Wall Street bailout signed into law by President George W. Bush in late 2008. Voters were also motivated for and against

340-561: A Republican-led legislature and its subsequent and very public signing by Jan Brewer , the Republican Governor of Arizona , ignited protests across the Southwest and galvanized political opinion among both pro-immigration Latino groups and Tea Party activists, many of whom supported stronger measures to stem illegal immigration. The passage of the controversial Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act also contributed to

408-575: A gay man as her congressional office's director of AIDS policy. In her first floor speech, Pelosi promised that she would be an advocate in the fight against what she called "the crisis of AIDS." With great stigma around the subject, some in her party privately chastised her for publicly associating herself with it. Pelosi co-authored the Ryan White CARE Act , which allocated funding dedicated to providing treatment and services for those impacted by HIV/AIDS. President George H. W. Bush signed

476-517: A high level of political polarization in the United States. In November 2010, Brian Naylor of NPR opined that: During Nancy Pelosi's four years as speaker of the House, Congress approved the health care overhaul—widely considered the most significant piece of domestic legislation since Medicare—along with an $ 800 billion measure to stimulate the economy and a multi-billion-dollar rescue of

544-461: A large number of campaign volunteers, and fundraised prolifically for her campaign. Pelosi has continued to represent approximately the same area of San Francisco for her entire congressional career, despite the boundaries shifting marginally in decennial post- reapportionment redistrictings . This area has been represented in the House by Democrats uninterruptedly since 1949, and is strongly Democratic-leaning (as of 2006, 13% of registered voters in

612-815: A net of six state governorships; Democrats won control of five governorships previously controlled by Republicans, but Republicans took 11 governorships. In many states where the following positions are elected offices, voters elected state executive branch offices (including Lieutenant Governors (though some will be voted for on the same ticket as the gubernatorial nominee), Secretary of state , state Treasurer , state Auditor , state Attorney General , state Superintendent of Education, Commissioners of Insurance , Agriculture or, Labor, etc.) and state judicial branch offices (seats on state Supreme Courts and, in some states, state appellate courts). Republicans scored record gains, gaining at least 680 total seats and taking control of 20 legislative chambers through election, while

680-546: A poor orator. 2010 midterm elections The 2010 United States elections were held on Tuesday, November 2, 2010, in the middle of Democratic President Barack Obama 's first term. Republicans ended unified Democratic control of Congress and the presidency by winning a majority in the House of Representatives and gained seats in the Senate despite Democrats holding Senate control. Republicans gained seven seats in

748-680: A portion of their Social Security withholding into stock and bond investments. Pelosi strongly opposed the plan, saying there was no crisis, and as minority leader she imposed intense party discipline on her caucus, leading them to near-unanimous opposition to the proposal, which was defeated. In the wake of Bush's 2004 reelection, several leading House Democrats believed they should pursue impeachment proceedings against him , asserting that he had misled Congress about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and violated Americans' civil liberties by authorizing warrantless wiretaps . In May 2006, with an eye on

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816-540: A press conference in which she endorsed Murtha's proposal. Some critics believed that Pelosi's support for a troop withdrawal would prevent the Democrats from winning a House majority in the 2006 elections . During her time as minority leader, Pelosi was not well known to much of the American public. Before the 2006 elections, Republicans made a concerted effort to taint public perception of her, running advertisements assailing her. Advertisements demonizing Pelosi became

884-407: A routine part of Republican advertising in subsequent elections. For instance, during the 2022 election cycle, Republicans ran more than $ 50 million in ads that negatively characterized or invoked Pelosi, and in the 2010 cycle, they spent more than $ 65 million on such ads. In the 2006 elections, the Democrats took control of the House, picking up 30 seats, the party's largest House seat gain since

952-462: A speech a few days later), Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid condemned the plan. They sent Bush a letter reading: [T]here is no purely military solution in Iraq. There is only a political solution. Adding more combat troops will only endanger more Americans and stretch our military to the breaking point for no strategic gain.   ... Rather than deploy additional forces to Iraq, we believe

1020-608: A volunteer for the Democratic Party in the 1960s. After years of party work, rising to chair the state party, she was first elected to Congress in a 1987 special election and is now in her 19th term. Pelosi steadily rose through the ranks of the House Democratic Caucus to be elected House minority whip in 2001 and elevated to House minority leader a year later, becoming the first woman to hold each of those positions in either chamber of Congress. In

1088-592: Is the dean of California's congressional delegation . Pelosi was born and raised in Baltimore , and is the daughter of mayor and congressman Thomas D'Alesandro Jr. She graduated from Trinity College, Washington , in 1962 and married businessman Paul Pelosi the next year; the two had met while both were students. They moved to New York City before settling down in San Francisco with their children. Focused on raising her family, Pelosi stepped into politics as

1156-516: The 1974 elections held in the wake of the Watergate scandal . The party's House majority meant that as the party's incumbent House leader, Pelosi was widely expected to become speaker in the next Congress. On November 16, 2006, the Democratic caucus unanimously nominated her for speaker. Pelosi supported her longtime friend John Murtha for House majority leader, the second-ranking post in

1224-450: The 2006 midterm elections , Pelosi led the Democrats to a majority in the House for the first time in 12 years and was subsequently elected Speaker, becoming the first woman to hold the office. Until Kamala Harris became vice president in 2021 , Pelosi was the highest-ranking woman in the presidential line of succession in U.S. history, as the speaker of the House is second in the line of succession. During her first speakership, Pelosi

1292-548: The 2010 Tax Relief Act . Pelosi lost the speakership after the Republican Party retook the majority in the 2010 midterm elections , but she retained her role as leader of the House Democrats and became House minority leader for a second time. In the 2018 midterm elections , Democrats regained majority control of the House, and Pelosi was again elected Speaker , becoming the first former speaker to reclaim

1360-614: The Affordable Care Act , when it seemed doomed to defeat. After Republican Scott Brown won Democrat Ted Kennedy 's former Senate seat in the January 2010 Massachusetts special election , costing Democrats their 60-seat filibuster -proof majority, Obama agreed with his then chief of staff Rahm Emanuel 's idea to do smaller initiatives that could pass easily. But Pelosi dismissed Obama's compunction, mocking his scaled-back ideas as "kiddie care". After convincing him that this

1428-619: The Democrats lost 21 chambers. The winners of this election cycle were slated to serve in their respective legislatures for either two or four-year terms, depending on state election rules. Republicans made substantial gains in state legislatures across the nation. Twenty chambers flipped from Democratic to Republican control, giving Republicans full control of eleven state legislatures and control of one chamber in Colorado, Iowa, and New York. Additionally, Republicans gained enough seats in

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1496-626: The House Appropriations Committee and the House Intelligence Committee . In 2001, Pelosi was elected the House minority whip, second-in-command to Minority Leader Dick Gephardt . She was the first woman in U.S. history to hold that post. Pelosi defeated John Lewis and Steny Hoyer for the position. A strong fundraiser, she used campaign contributions to help persuade other members of Congress to support her candidacy. In 2002, Pelosi opposed

1564-583: The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 , and the Respect for Marriage Act . In the 2022 midterm elections , Republicans narrowly regained control of the House for the new Congress, ending her tenure as speaker. She subsequently retired as House Democratic leader. On November 29, 2022, the Steering and Policy Committee of the House Democratic Caucus named Pelosi "Speaker Emerita". Nancy Pelosi

1632-702: The Institute of Notre Dame , an all-girls Catholic high school in Baltimore. In 1962, she graduated from Trinity College (now Trinity Washington University ) in Washington, D.C., with a Bachelor of Arts in political science . Pelosi interned for Senator Daniel Brewster (D-Maryland) in the 1960s alongside future House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer . After moving to San Francisco , Pelosi became friends with 5th district congressman Phillip Burton and began working her way up in Democratic politics. In 1976, she

1700-470: The Iraq Resolution authorizing President George W. Bush to use military force against Iraq , which passed the House on a 296–133 vote. She said, "unilateral use of force without first exhausting every diplomatic remedy and other remedies and making a case to the American people will be harmful to our war on terrorism." In November 2002, after Gephardt resigned as House minority leader to seek

1768-604: The United States House of Representatives were up for election. Additionally, elections were held to select the delegates for the District of Columbia and four of the five U.S. territories . The only seat in the House not up for election was that of the Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico , who serves a four-year term and faced election in 2012 . Republicans won the nationwide popular vote for

1836-475: The dean of the House of Representatives traditionally does. Pelosi was the first woman, the first Californian, and the first Italian-American to hold the speakership. She was also the second speaker from a state west of the Rocky Mountains . The first was Washington 's Tom Foley , the last Democrat to hold the post before Pelosi. During her speech, she discussed the historical importance of being

1904-417: The marble ceiling . For our daughters and our granddaughters, the sky is the limit, anything is possible for them. She also said Iraq was the major issue facing the 110th Congress while incorporating some Democratic Party beliefs: The election of 2006 was a call to change—not merely to change the control of Congress, but for a new direction for our country. Nowhere were the American people more clear about

1972-479: The special election to succeed her, defeating Democratic San Francisco supervisor Harry Britt on April 7, 1987, and Republican Harriet Ross in a June 2 runoff. Pelosi took office a week later. In the primary, Britt, a gay man, had courted San Francisco's sizable homosexual population by arguing that he would be better than Pelosi at addressing the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Pelosi had held many campaign events, amassed

2040-557: The sweeping reforms of the health care system enacted by Democrats in 2010, as well as concerns over tax rates and record deficits. At the time of the election, unemployment was over 9%, and had not declined significantly since Barack Obama had become president. Further eroding public trust in Congress were a series of scandals that saw Democratic representatives Charlie Rangel and Maxine Waters , as well as Republican senator John Ensign , all accused of unethical or illegal conduct in

2108-425: The "earliest predictable date". Pelosi initially declined to commit to supporting Murtha's proposal. Speaker Dennis Hastert soon brought to the floor a vote on a non-binding resolution calling for an immediate withdrawal of troops, seeking to trap Democrats into taking a more radical stance. Pelosi led Democrats in voting against the resolution, which failed in a 403–3 floor vote. Roughly two weeks later, Pelosi held

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2176-399: The 2008 election, she withstood a challenge for her seat by antiwar activist Cindy Sheehan , who ran as an independent primarily because of Pelosi's refusal to pursue impeachment. Before the midterm elections, Pelosi announced that if Democrats gained a House majority, they would push through most of their agenda during the first 100 hours of the 110th Congress. The "first hundred hours"

2244-467: The 2010 elections on anti-Pelosi advertisements. Pelosi has continued to be a fixture of Republican attack. Ads demonizing her have been credited with fostering intense right-wing ire toward her, and have been seen as one of the top factors in her unpopularity with the public. Shortly after being reelected in 2004, President Bush claimed a mandate for an ambitious second-term agenda and proposed reforming Social Security by allowing workers to redirect

2312-574: The Democratic nomination in the 2004 presidential election , Pelosi was elected to replace him, becoming the first woman to lead a major party in either chamber of Congress. In the campaign to succeed Gephardt as the House Democratic Caucus 's leader, Pelosi was challenged by Harold Ford Jr. and Marcy Kaptur . Kaptur withdrew her candidacy for the position before the November 15, 2002, caucus vote, and Pelosi defeated Ford 117–29 in

2380-509: The House majority in 2006, in her second term as minority leader Pelosi worked to criticize the Bush administration more effectively and to contrast the Democratic Party with it. As part of this, Pelosi voiced even harsher criticism of Bush's handling of the Iraq War. In November 2005, prominent congressional Democrat John Murtha proposed that the U.S. begin a withdrawal of troops from Iraq at

2448-557: The House of Representatives by a margin of 6.8 points and picked up 63 seats, taking control of the chamber for the first time since the 2006 elections . This represented the largest single-election shift in House seats since the 1948 elections and the largest midterm election shift since the 1938 elections . The only seat Democrats flipped without unseating a Republican was Delaware's lone House seat, going to former Lt. Governor John Carney . 37 state and two territory United States governors were up for election. Republicans picked up

2516-475: The House. His competitor was House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer , who had been Pelosi's second-in-command since 2003. Hoyer was elected House majority leader over Murtha by a margin of 149–86. On January 4, 2007, Pelosi defeated Republican John Boehner of Ohio, 233 votes to 202, in the election for speaker of the House. Rahm Emanuel , the incoming chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, nominated Pelosi, and her longtime friend John Dingell swore her in, as

2584-542: The Oregon House of Representatives to produce a 30-30 party split, pushing Democrats into a power-sharing agreement that resulted in the election of two "co-speakers" (one from each party) to lead the chamber. Republicans gained a total of 680 seats in state legislative races, breaking the previous record of 628 flipped seats set by Democrats in the post-Watergate elections of 1974. Six states saw both chambers switch from Democrat to Republican majorities: Alabama (where

2652-937: The Republicans won a majority and a trifecta for the first time since 1874), Maine (for the first time since 1964), Minnesota (for the first time since 1915 in partisan elections and 1973 in non-partisan elections), New Hampshire, North Carolina (for the first time since 1896), and Wisconsin. In addition, by picking up the lower chambers in Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Montana and Pennsylvania, Republicans gained control of both chambers in an additional five states. Further, Republicans picked up one chamber from Democrats in Colorado, Iowa, and New York to split control in those states. They expanded majorities in both chambers in Texas, Florida, and Georgia. The massive Republican victories in legislative races would be widely expected to significantly impact

2720-515: The Senate (including a special election held in January 2010) but failed to gain a majority in the chamber. In the House of Representatives, Republicans won a net gain of 63 seats, the largest shift in seats since the 1948 elections . In state elections, Republicans won a net gain of six gubernatorial seats and flipped control of twenty state legislative chambers, giving them a substantial advantage in

2788-667: The United States House of Representatives from 2007 to 2011 and again from 2019 to 2023. A member of the Democratic Party , she was the first woman elected as U.S. House Speaker and the first woman to lead a major political party in either chamber of Congress , leading the House Democrats from 2003 to 2023. A member of the House since 1987, Pelosi currently represents California's 11th congressional district , which includes most of San Francisco . She

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2856-445: The banks. It is a legislative legacy that rivals the accomplishments of any speaker in modern times. In November 2010, after Democrats lost their House majority, Politico writer John Bresnahan called Pelosi's record as speaker "mixed". He opined that Pelosi had been a powerful speaker, describing her as wielding "an iron fist in a Gucci glove" and having held "enormous power within the House Democratic Caucus", but noting that she had

2924-650: The bill into law in December 1990. In March 1988, Pelosi voted for the Civil Rights Restoration Act of 1987 (as well as to override President Ronald Reagan 's veto). Pelosi helped shape the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act , working with California Senator Dianne Feinstein and New York Congressman Chuck Schumer . It became law in 1994. Pelosi also held chairs on important committees , such as

2992-427: The boundaries of Pelosi's district were Republican). It has not seen a serious Republican congressional contender since the early 1960s. Pelosi has been reelected to the House 18 times without any substantive opposition. Unlike in her 1987 campaign, Pelosi has not participated in candidates' debates in her reelection campaigns. In her first seven reelection campaigns (from 1988 through 2004), she won an average of 80% of

3060-479: The closed-door vote of caucus members. Critics of Pelosi characterized her as too liberal to be a successful House leader. As minority leader, Pelosi sharply criticized the handling of the Iraq War by President Bush and his administration, in 2004 saying Bush had demonstrated areas of "incompetence". In a relative surprise, the Democratic Party lost three seats in the 2004 House elections , which coincided with Bush's reelection as president . Focused on retaking

3128-496: The first woman to hold the position of Speaker: This is a historic moment—for the Congress, and for the women of this country. It is a moment for which we have waited more than 200 years. Never losing faith, we waited through the many years of struggle to achieve our rights. But women weren't just waiting; women were working. Never losing faith, we worked to redeem the promise of America, that all men and women are created equal. For our daughters and granddaughters, today, we have broken

3196-679: The gavel since Sam Rayburn in 1955. During her second speakership, the House twice impeached President Donald Trump , first in December 2019 and again in January 2021 ; the Senate acquitted Trump both times. She participated in the passage of the Biden administration 's landmark bills, including the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 , the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act , the CHIPS and Science Act ,

3264-579: The greatest in U.S. history, highlighting the passage of the Affordable Care Act ("a measure with far-reaching implications for our nation's health care policy"). He also praised Pelosi for occasionally allowing House passage of measures that had majority overall House support but were opposed by the majority of the Democratic House Caucus. He noted that she had occasionally allowed bills to move forward in such fashion despite

3332-557: The left. As they had in 2006, Republicans continued to run advertisements that demonized Pelosi. Before the 2010 House elections, the Republican National Committee prominently used a "Fire Pelosi" slogan in its efforts to recapture the House majority. This slogan was rolled out hours after the House passed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act . Republicans spent $ 65 million ahead of

3400-571: The low approval ratings of Congress, particularly Democrats, in the months leading up to the election. Many Republicans ran on a promise to repeal the law, and beat incumbent Democratic opponents who had voted in favor of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. On January 19, 2010, a special election was also held for the Class I seat in Massachusetts , as a result of the death of incumbent Senator Ted Kennedy . Republican Scott Brown won

3468-644: The months leading up to the 2010 election. Immigration reform had become an important issue in 2010, particularly following the passage of Arizona Senate Bill 1070 , officially known as the Support Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act. The Act greatly enhanced the power of Arizona's law enforcement agencies to investigate the immigration status of suspected illegal immigrants and to enforce state and national immigration laws. The Act also required immigrants to carry their immigration documentation on their person at all times. Its passage by

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3536-451: The most powerful woman in U.S. history and among the most powerful speakers of the previous 100 years. In March 2010, Mark Shields wrote, In the last four months, [Pelosi] has not once, not twice but on three separate occasions done what none of her predecessors—including legendary giants [ Tip O'Neill and Sam Rayburn ]—could ever do: persuade the House of Representatives to pass national health-care reform. Pelosi has proved herself to be

3604-545: The most powerful woman in U.S. political history. Later in 2010, Gail Russell Chaddock of The Christian Science Monitor opined that Pelosi was the "most powerful House speaker since Sam Rayburn a half century ago", adding that she had also been "one of the most partisan". Scholars favorably assessed Pelosi's first speakership. In late 2010, Norman Ornstein , a congressional scholar at the conservative-leaning American Enterprise Institute , opined that despite polarized public opinion of Pelosi, "she's going to rank quite high in

3672-409: The need for a new direction than in Iraq. The American people rejected an open-ended obligation to a war without end. As speaker, Pelosi remained the leader of the House Democrats, as the speaker is considered the leader of the majority caucus. But by tradition, she did not normally participate in debate and almost never voted on the floor, though she had the right to do so as a member of the House. She

3740-432: The pantheon of modern speakers", declaring that the only speaker of the previous 100 years he would rank higher than Pelosi was Sam Rayburn . Catholic University of America political scientist Matthew Green opined that the 111th Congress had "been remarkable in its productivity—in both the number of bills enacted and their scope—and Pelosi shares much of the credit." Green considered Pelosi's tenure as speaker to be among

3808-495: The redistricting that occurred following the 2010 United States census . The election was widely characterized as a "Republican wave" election . The heavy Democratic losses in 2010 were mainly attributed to the passing of the Affordable Care Act along with a poor economic recovery from the Great Recession and large budget deficits. This marked the first election since 1858 that yielded a Republican-controlled House and

3876-546: The redrawing of congressional districts for the 2012 election cycle. On November 2, 2010, various cities, counties, school boards, and special districts (in the United States) witnessed elections. Some elections were high-profile. High-profile mayoral elections are listed below: Approximately 82.5 million people voted. Turnout increased relative to the previous U.S. midterm elections without any significant shift in voters' political identification. Bold indicates

3944-559: The seat. The 34 seats in the United States Senate Class III were up for election. In addition, the Class I/II seats held by appointed Senators Ted Kaufman of Delaware , Kirsten Gillibrand of New York , and Carte Goodwin of West Virginia were contested in special elections on the same day. Republicans picked up six seats, but Democrats retained a majority in the Senate. All 435 voting seats in

4012-599: The upcoming midterm elections—which offered the possibility of Democrats taking back control of the House for the first time since 1994—Pelosi told colleagues that, while the Democrats would conduct vigorous oversight of Bush administration policy, an impeachment investigation was "off the table". A week earlier, she had told The Washington Post that although Democrats would not set out to impeach Bush, "you never know where" investigations might lead. After becoming speaker in 2007, Pelosi held firm against impeachment, notwithstanding strong support for it among her constituents. In

4080-481: The vote. At the time that Pelosi entered office, there were only 23 women in the House. When Pelosi entered office, the AIDS epidemic was at a dire point. San Francisco was greatly affected; its large population of gay men was the epidemic's initial epicenter. Beginning in her first term, Pelosi became a prominent congressional advocate on behalf of those impacted by HIV/AIDS. Shortly after she took office, she hired

4148-453: The way forward is to begin the phased redeployment of our forces in the next four to six months while shifting the principal mission of our forces there from combat to training, logistics, force protection, and counter-terror. Pelosi was named Permanent Chair of the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver , Colorado. Pelosi has been credited for spearheading Obama's health care law,

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4216-752: Was a major opponent of the Iraq War as well as the Bush administration's attempts to partially privatize Social Security . She participated in the passage of the Obama administration's landmark bills , including the Affordable Care Act , the Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act , the Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act , the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 , and

4284-481: Was a play on President Franklin D. Roosevelt 's promise for quick action to combat the Great Depression during his "first hundred days" in office. Newt Gingrich, who became speaker of the House in 1995, had a similar 100-day agenda to implement his Contract with America . On January 5, 2007, reacting to suggestions from Bush's confidants that he would increase troop levels in Iraq (which he announced in

4352-431: Was also not a member of any House committees, also in keeping with tradition. Pelosi was reelected speaker in 2009. During and after her first tenure as speaker, Pelosi was widely characterized as a polarizing political figure. Republican candidates often associated their Democratic opponents with her. Pelosi became the focus of heavy disdain by "mainstream" Republicans and Tea Party Republicans alike, as well as from

4420-531: Was born in Baltimore , Maryland , to an Italian-American family. She was the only daughter and the youngest of six children of Annunciata M. "Nancy" D'Alesandro (née Lombardi) and Thomas D'Alesandro Jr. Her mother was born in Fornelli , Isernia , Molise , in Southern Italy , and immigrated to the U.S. in 1912; her father traced his Italian ancestry to Genoa , Venice and Abruzzo . When Pelosi

4488-553: Was born, her father was a Democratic congressman from Maryland. He became Baltimore mayor seven years later. Pelosi's mother was also active in politics, organizing Democratic women and teaching her daughter political skills. Pelosi's brother, Thomas D'Alesandro III , also a Democrat, was elected Baltimore City Council president and later served as mayor from 1967 to 1971. Pelosi helped her father at his campaign events, and she attended President John F. Kennedy 's inaugural address in January 1961. In 1958, Pelosi graduated from

4556-751: Was elected as a Democratic National Committee member from California, a position she would hold until 1996. She was elected as party chair for Northern California in 1977, and four years later was selected to head the California Democratic Party , which she led until 1983. Subsequently, Pelosi served as the San Francisco Democratic National Convention Host Committee chairwoman in 1984, and then as Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee finance chair from 1985 to 1986. Phillip Burton died in 1983 and his wife, Sala Burton , won

4624-438: Was their only shot at health care reform because of the large Democratic majorities in Congress, she rallied her caucus as she began an "unbelievable marathon" of a two-month session to craft the bill, which passed the House 219–212. In Obama's remarks before signing the bill into law, he called Pelosi "one of the best speakers the House of Representatives has ever had." By early 2010, analysts were assessing Pelosi as possibly

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