A master of calculation, Pelosi knew it was time

When Nancy Pelosifirst ran for Congress, she was one of 4 candidates, the front-runner anda target.

- MARK Z. BARABAK COLUMNIST

ANDREW HARNIK Associated Press REP. Nancy Pelosi made history as House speaker and has left an enduring mark on San Francisco.

W hen Nancy Pelosi first ran for Congress, she was one of 14 candidates, the front-runner and a target.

At the time, Pelosi was little known to San Francisco voters. But she was already a fixture in national politics. She was a major Democratic fundraiser, who helped lure the party's 1984 national convention to her adopted hometown. She served as head of California's Democratic Party and hosted a salon that was a must-stop for any politician passing through.

She was the chosen successor of Rep. Sala Burton, a short-timer who took over the House seat held for decades by her late husband, Philip, and who delivered a personal benediction from her deathbed.

But at age 47, Pelosi had never held public office she was too busy raising five kids, on top of all that political moving and shakingand opponents made light of her role as hostess. "The party girl for the party," they dubbed her, a taunt that blared from billboards around town.

She obviously showed them.

Pelosi not only made history, becoming the first female speaker of the House. She became the party's spine and its sinew, holding together the Democrats' warring factions and standing firm at times the more timorous were prepared to back down.

The Affordable Care Act -President Obama's signature achievement - would never have passed if Pelosi had not insisted on pressing on when many, including some in the White House, wished to surrender.

She played a significant role in twice helping rescue the country from economic collapse the first time in 2009 amid the Great Recession, then in 2020 during the shutdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic ― mustering recalcitrant Democrats to ensure House passage.