(10-18-2010 09:31 PM)smn1256 Wrote: I wonder if she'll retire if she loses her Speaker position?
I think she would resign, yes.
Recent Speakers of the House:
Rayburn of Texas - died in office (1961).
McCormack of Massachusetts - voluntarily retired as Speaker and from Congress (1970).
Albert of Oklahoma - voluntarily retired as Speaker and from Congress (1976).
O'Neill of Massachusetts - voluntarily retired as Speaker and from Congress (1986).
Wright of Texas - resigned as Speaker (internal pressure from his own party) and from Congress at once (1989).
Foley of Washington - defeated for re-election (1994).
Gingrich of Georgia - resigned as Speaker (internal pressure from his own party) and from Congress at once (1998).
Hastert of Illinois - resigned from Congress shortly after his party lost the Majority (2006).
Pelosi of California - incumbent.
So, at least in the past 50 years, no "former Speakers" have continued to serve in the House except for Hastert, who hung around a brief time. I think in today's political culture, the people who reach that rung of the ladder are so ego-inflated, that the idea of becoming just another back-bencher is intolerable to them, so they'd rather quit and move on.