Now that Rep. Nancy Pelosi has confirmedthat she will not be running for reelection in 2026, the stage is set for what could be an energetic race for her San Francisco district.

For the first time in nearly 40 years, the powerful California seat representing a political and financial nerve center will have an open primary. Although it's a firmly Democratic region, the race will nonetheless attract strong competition, especially amid an election year that will be ripe with interparty shakeups as the state also chooses its next governor.

Two known Democratic figures have already thrown their hat in the ring for Pelosi's 11th Congressional District.

Democrat Scott Wiener, a 55-year-old state lawmaker well known in Sacramento, announced just weeks ago he would be running for the seat − before Pelosi confirmed she would indeed be exiting Congress. Saikat Chakrabarti, 39, a former chief of staff for progressive Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, had already entered the race as well, and other San Francisco politicos are floating around other possible names who could also jump into the fray.

Pelosi's announcement ended months of speculation over whether the former House speaker intended to retire from politics altogether, during a time when a contingent of Democrats is eager to shed the old guard and embrace younger candidates.

Pelosi's popularity in the city had remained high, even as popular attitudes began to turn against having octogenarians in high office. Pelosi has trounced any opposition in the district for years, and she said in a recent interview that she had "no doubt" she would win the seat in 2026 if she ran.

“That isn’t even a question," she said in a Nov. 3 CNN interview. "It isn’t arrogant. It’s confident. I know my district."

Pelosi is one of the Democratic Party's leading figures, who has built a record as one of the most influential legislators over the past three decades. She was the first woman to become House speaker. She served in the role for eight years across two terms, and then relinquished it in 2022 after Republicans gained control of the chamber.

Her influence in California politics has also been deeply consequential, representing San Francisco through the AIDS epidemic of the 80s and 90s, the legalization of same-sex marriage, the Bay Area city's tech boom and the region's recent housing and cost-of-living crises.

Wiener, who is gay and among the state's most vocal advocates for LGBTQ+ rights, paid homage to Pelosi's career and impact on his adopted hometown of San Francisco.

"In her first remarks on the House floor in 1987, she announced that she had come to Congress to fight AIDS," Wiener said in a Nov. 6 statement. "That same year, a closeted gay teen with a name like a hot dog finally admitted to himself he was gay. It was a terrifying time to come of age as a gay man, and Nancy Pelosi stepped up and used her voice and platform to fight for people like me. I will be eternally grateful to her."

Pelosi was first elected to Congress in 1987 and has represented the San Francisco region in the House for 38 years. In a video statement responding to the news, Democratic hopeful Chakrabarti also noted Pelosi's contributions, and cast her impending retirement as an opportunity for new blood.

"Whether you love her or disagree with her, you've got to admit, she's shaped American politics for an entire generation," he said. "And now she's doing something really rare in Washington: making room for the next generation."

Kathryn Palmer is a politics reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach her at kapalmer@usatoday.com and on X @KathrynPlmr.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Pelosi's retirement leaves her powerful San Francisco district up for grabs

Reporting by Kathryn Palmer, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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