The U.S. Elections class hosted congresswoman and former Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi on Oct. 17. Pelosi answered questions from professors of political science John Geer and Jon Meacham before engaging in a Q&A session with students.

Pelosi served as the 52nd speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 2019 to 2023 and was the first woman elected as U.S. House Speaker. As a member of the Democratic Party, she was also the first woman to lead a major political party in either chamber of Congress, serving for 20 years. She currently represents California’s 11th congressional district, which includes much of San Francisco. Her newest book, “The Art of Power,” brought her to Nashville as a part of a national book tour. 

In the days leading up to Thursday’s class, Geer sent out numerous emails to enrolled students, encouraging them to attend and calling it a “not miss class” without listing Pelosi’s name. 

“Our visitor will have some timely and important insights about this election, in particular, and politics in general,” Geer said. 

As students settled into class, a video highlighting Pelosi’s career played, its opening scene showing a close-up shot of Pelosi. Students erupted in cheers and cheered once again when Pelosi walked out onto the stage minutes later, followed by Geer and Meacham. 

Women in politics

The professors’ first question to Pelosi was about her first time running for Congress. She ran in a special election in 1987 for California’s 5th Congressional District and shared that she did not anticipate running for office. She cited her own interest in combating child poverty as her driving motivation in entering politics and encouraged students to use her story as a lesson to seize opportunities. 

“In the history of the world, there is nobody like you, so be your authentic you,” Pelosi said. “That authenticity, that sincerity is what will protect you. And know your ‘why.’” 

Pelosi was then asked about her experience as a woman in politics, to which she praised Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris. 

“Right now, we have an opportunity to elect a woman to the President of the United States — not because she’s a woman, but because she’s the best,” Pelosi said. 

She also applauded other women in politics, including Shirley Chisholm and Hillary Clinton. According to Pelosi, these women have all had to face the “marble ceiling” in politics, an idea with which Pelosi said she can relate to. She shared a story from her first time running for Congressional leadership when various men questioned her ability to run. Pelosi said these comments “[lit] her fire” and made her more passionate about making an impact in politics. 

“They said, ‘Who said she could run?,’ and then they said, ‘Is it because she’s a woman?’” Pelosi said. 

Pelosi discussed her time in Congress in 2003 when she became the first woman to be elected as Speaker of the House of Representatives. She shared that she hoped to bring a new perspective and change some norms of the office. 

“Now I [was] responsible, [and] I said I’ll try to do this in a different way, in terms of recognizing the beautiful diversity of our caucus,” Pelosi said. “I made some things that used to be appointed by the speaker elected by the caucus.” 

Pelosi also said she feels she has a “strong responsibility” to women in politics. 

“When women succeed, America succeeds,” Pelosi said. 

Trump’s influence

In response to a question from Meacham about how congressional politics has shifted since 2017, Pelosi said she did not see “Trumpism” coming. 

“I didn’t see the disrespect for the office he had,” Pelosi said. “It took me a little while to realize that I had more respect for the office he held than he did.”

Pelosi recounted her traumatic experience in the capitol during the Jan. 6 insurrection, expressing disappointment in the response from Republicans and their attempts at “rewriting history.” 

“Somebody said to me, ‘Now, Speaker, you have to accept your constitutional responsibility [to certify the election] in an undisclosed location because that will be safer.’ I said, ‘No, you just make it safe in the capitol because we have to show the American people, and the world, that we have won this, that they did not prevail and that we will honor the Constitution,’” Pelosi said.  

Pelosi concluded with an analysis of the upcoming election. She discussed threats to the election, including increasing misinformation and foreign interference. She added that she thought the country needed a “strong Republican party” to allow for healthy debate and prevent further polarization. She then explained the importance of the election, noting the preservation of democracy as the primary reason.   

“When people say, ‘Why do you say democracy is on the ballot? Why do you say that,’ I say it because democracy is about the peaceful transfer of power, it’s about an independent judiciary and more, but it’s also about personal freedoms,” Pelosi said.

Student reactions

In a message to The Hustler, Geer described the process of getting Pelosi to come to the class as “smooth.” 

“Professor Meacham knows the Speaker well and asked her to come to the class,” Geer said. “She kindly agreed. Her team, which is highly professional, made it easy to bring her to campus.” 

Senior Charlotte Jibilian said hearing from Pelosi was “inspiring.” 

“To me, Nancy Pelosi is the cornerstone of the Democratic Party,” Jibilian said, “Hearing her speak was a powerful reminder of all the courageous women that have contributed to maintaining our democracy.” 

Sophomore Chelsea Dunn said she found the lecture engaging and that it brought the upcoming election into focus. 

“Hearing directly from a prominent leader like Nancy Pelosi really brought the reality of the importance of the election to light,” Dunn said. “She reminded us that we will be the future of this democracy.” 

Geer reflected on the opportunity for students to listen and engage with who he believes to be “one of the great leaders” in the country, hoping that students were able to extract academic and personal lessons from her discussion. 

“She is a patriot first and a partisan second. It is important for students to see the passion and the concern she has for this country,” Geer said. “We tend to get cynical about politics, and hearing firsthand from one of the major figures of the last four decades was powerful. Her personal story is compelling and shows our students that they can make a difference in so many ways. ”