SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- While not entirely unexpected, the news Thursday that Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi will retire at the end of her current term sent shockwaves through the political sphere. Pelosi was first elected to Congress in 1987 and has represented San Francisco for nearly four decades.

Her trailblazing tenure as the first woman to become Speaker of the House has seen her play a key role in the passage of the Affordable Care Act and become a leader on the international stage. Even at 85, she played a pivotal role in this week's passage of Proposition 50, a redistricting initiative that could lay the ground for Democrats recapturing the House of Representatives next year.

While California's 11th congressional district, which includes all but a handful of San Francisco neighbor

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