Nancy Pelosi is a major political figure in the United States, serving as the Speaker of the House of Representatives, but what political party does she belong to?
Nancy Pelosi is a Democrat, and before becoming Speaker of the House, she served as the party’s whip. Her political career dates back to the 1970s when she worked on Jerry Brown’s presidential campaign.
Find out more about Nancy Pelosi’s life and career, as well as her political views, below.
Who is Nancy Pelosi?
Nancy Pelosi was born in Maryland in 1940 and comes from a political family. Her father was the mayor of Baltimore and also a congressman during his career, and her brother Thomas would also go on to a career in politics, following in his father’s footsteps as the mayor of Baltimore.
“From a very early age,” Pelosi said later, “My brothers and I were taught to be compassionate and to be aware of the world around us.”
She grew up Catholic and attended a Catholic school.
After school, she attended Trinity College and it was here that she met her husband Paul. The couple married in 1963 and went on to have five children named Corrine, Christine, Jacqueline, Paul, and Alexandra.
Paul Pelosi is a businessman and runs an investment firm. He prefers to stay out of the limelight, explaining, “I’ve made a conscious effort not to be involved or give the appearance of being involved in [Nancy’s] political career.”
Political Career
Pelosi’s first encounter with the Democrats, beyond the political role of her father, was as a volunteer. In this position, she helped with campaigns and balanced this responsibility with raising her young family.
“We shouldn’t be making judgments about how other people choose to balance career and home,” she says. “I went from being a housewife to the House Speaker, a homemaker to a member of Congress.”
She quickly climbed the career ladder in the party and was promoted. In 1987, she won her first election and entered the House of Representatives.
More than two decades on, she became the leader of the House for the Democrats. In 2006, following a majority win for the Democratic Party, she became Speaker of the House.
Her promotion marked a historic moment, as she was the first woman to assume this position.
She remained in this role until 2010 when the republicans assumed majority control of the House once again. John Boehner became the leader of the House, while Pelosi remained the Democrat’s House Leader, which was now the minority party.
In 2016, Tim Ryan, a fellow Democrat, attempted to take the role of minority leader, thus ousting Pelosi, however, this was ultimately a failed bid.
After the 2018 midterm elections, where the Democrats regained control of the House, Pelosi resumed her position as Speaker.
Political Views
One of the key influences in Pelosi’s decision to pursue a political career was, she says, her role as a mother. “It always bothered me, my whole life, that one in five children in America lives in poverty,” she explains.
“For me [politics] was not a change but an extension of my role as a mom, to make sure that we had public policies that gave opportunity to all of America’s children.”
Regarding health care, Pelosi believes that this should be affordable for all, and not a “Privilege for the wealthy few,” according to her website. On campaign financing and democracy, she believes that the government should represent its people as “a government of the many, not of the money.”
She believes that climate change poses a serious threat, stating “Climate change is real, and its consequences are undeniable. Rising seas, savage droughts, horrific famines, devastating floods, and life-threatening air pollution will impact every nation on every continent.”
Regarding gun violence, she believes that those in political power “Must do everything in our power to keep our children and our communities safe.” She also advocates women’s rights, immigration reform, and increased wages.