Pelosi recommits to term limit as speaker, making next term her last

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi addressed whether her next term would be her last as speaker, telling reporters that she doesn't "want to undermine any leverage" she has heading into the next session of Congress.

When she was reelected speaker in 2018, Pelosi said then that she would agree to a four-year term limit, but the Democratic caucus never formally enforced term limits. 

The caucus elected Pelosi as speaker on Wednesday. The full House will vote for speaker in January. After the election took place, Pelosi was asked if she would be her serving her last term as speaker.

"They said they were going to do it. They didn't do it. What I said then is whether it passes or not I will abide by those limits that are there," Pelosi said at a news conference.

Pelosi mentioned that her husband, Paul, might be watching her speak.

"Don't let me have to be more specific than that because we never expected to have another term now," she said. "I consider this a gift and I can't wait to be working with Joe Biden and preparing us for our transition into the future so I don't want to undermine any leverage I may have but I made the statement."

The virtual Democratic leadership election was conducted via an app. The California Democrat said that she wishes the media could have seen the acceptance speeches for leadership positions during the virtual election. The election was closed to press. 

"I wish you could seen the nominations and acceptance speeches because then you could have seen the common thread, the unity of our caucus," she said. "I was kind of emotional earlier because of some of the things that were said in nomination but also listening to the other nominations as well."