Big news, John:
Former Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, just announced her retirement after 40+ years of representing San Francisco in Congress.
Before I tell you a quick story, I want to say this to Speaker Pelosi:
Thank you.
Thank you for passing the Affordable Care Act, for delivering the first major federal gun violence prevention legislation in three decades after the Uvalde and Buffalo massacres, for securing life-saving research for HIV/AIDS, and for standing up to Trump.
This will be a longer email than usual which my fundraising team hates because people usually only donate if you ask them in the beginning of the email. But stay with me, because this is important.
Now, here’s a story about me and Speaker Pelosi I’ve never told before—
After Parkland, my classmates and I were devastated and had an extreme distrust of politicians and adults who we felt were responsible for the weak gun laws that enabled the 19-year-old shooter who killed our administrators and classmates, to be able to own an AR-15, despite repeatedly threatening to shoot up our high school.
Naturally, Nancy Pelosi was one of those people we were cautious about trusting. But despite that, she continued to show up for us. At the March for Our Lives in DC in 2018, we were extremely strict about not having any politicians speak. Speaker Pelosi still showed up just to protest with us (in sun glasses and a hat that she took off at one point with the students and said, “Hey guys, it’s Nancy Pelosi” showing us how she was still with us). But she didn’t just stop there.
When we sent a 16-year-old co-founder of March For Our Lives up to DC to be a lobbyist for us, Speaker Pelosi and her team personally mentored him and showed him the ropes of Congress. The co-founder became so successful that even after he left lobbying to go to college, I would still get questions about him years later from Members of Congress.
Then in 2022, after the Uvalde and Buffalo shootings when March For Our Lives wanted to do its second March on the National Mall in front of the White House, we needed a permit that usually takes months to get approved. We only had about a week to get it approved. I saw Speaker Pelosi at a protest and asked her to help us get the permit done. And once again, she showed up and cut through the red tape, making the second March possible in DC. (Secretary Deb Haaland was also a massive help in that. So thank you, Sec. Haaland! I know you get our emails!). That March, in combination with pressure from our allies in the gun reform movement, resulted in the first federal gun law in 30 years being passed. It’s now been used well over 1,000 times to stop high risk individuals under 21 from buying guns like the AR-15 and since its passage there's been about a 20% drop in gun homicides.
What has impressed me most about Speaker Pelosi is that even at times when I have not agreed with her, or when I’ve called her out publicly (saying things like, “F… Democrats in Congress for screwing over the survivors of gun violence” over some extreme frustration I had over a vote on banning assault weapons years ago), and even after I once protested outside of her office — she has time and time again delivered and showed up for the survivors of gun violence.
So, Speaker Pelosi, thank you for proving me wrong and showing me that sometimes politicians actually can do the right thing. Thank you, as the first woman elected House Speaker, for delivering the votes … Every. Single. Time. And thank you, Speaker Pelosi, for making room for a new generation to lead and for helping us while in power too.
That story of how she helped the gun safety movement is why when I announced Leaders We Deserve’s mission to elect young progressives and primary ineffective Democrats, I made something clear: Not every older politician needs to be replaced. In fact, I specifically said Speaker Pelosi would not be a target. Why? Because she’s damn good at her job. She's a juggernaut. There’s a reason she drove Trump absolutely insane AND got legislation passed that saved millions of lives.
Our movement isn’t just about age. It’s about effectiveness, courage, and making space for new leadership that’s not afraid to fight for their communities, meet the moment, and take on Trump and MAGA with everything they’ve got.
And one thing you can never say about Nancy Pelosi? That she’s ineffective, or afraid to fight Trump.
John, this is a huge moment for our movement. We all know how influential Speaker Pelosi is — where she goes, so goes the caucus, so goes the Democratic Party, and so goes the country. And she knows voters are crying out for younger leadership and next-generation Democrats.
I hope more Democrats in Congress follow her example and pass the torch, while continuing to advise the next generation — because we need an intergenerational coalition to build a stronger Democratic Party.
Now it’s on us to carry this momentum forward — to elect bold, progressive leaders who will deliver results like Speaker Pelosi and reflect a new generation.
Thank you for your support,
David Hogg
