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“Difference of opinion is about what a democracy is,” Pelosi said, noting that Thomas Jefferson and John Adams had opposing views. “People can come together and have differences of opinion – that is a democracy – but to do so with respect and patriotism, love of our country.”

Pelosi, the House speaker emerita and one of the most powerful Democrats in Washington, made her comments at a forum sponsored by �鶹�ƽ�� Karsh Institute of Democracy. Later Wednesday evening, the UVA Center for Politics honored her with its 2026 Defender of Democracy Award. Larry Sabato, the Robert Kent Gooch Professor of Politics and the center's founder and director, presented the award.

Pelosi exhorts her UVA audience to find the “why and how” of what makes them interested in politics and to get involved. She continues to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives after 40 years in office. (Photo by Matt Riley, University Communications)

Sabato said Pelosi received the award “for a lifetime of service guided by principle and courage – and for expanding the circle of participation and leadership in this nation.”

“In 2007, she became the first woman to serve as speaker of the House, breaking the ‘marble ceiling’ and expanding the realm of possibility for women across this nation,” Sabato said. “Over the years, she has shepherded and helped enact consequential laws on civil rights, economic recovery, climate action, the Affordable Care Act and more.”

Pelosi has served 20 terms in the House after first being elected in 1987 to represent California. She was the first woman to be named speaker of the House, serving from 2007 to 2011 and again from 2019 to 2023.

But it was what Pelosi called the current Congress’ abdication of its authority in acquiescence to President Donald Trump that was on Pelosi’s mind at the Rotunda. She noted the Republican-controlled Congress has been reluctant to oppose Trump on most issues through his first year, but public opinion may be changing that dynamic.

UVA staff, students, faculty and local community members listen to U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi from the floor of the Rotunda Dome Room. (Photo by Matt Riley, University Communications)

“We had 17 (Republican) votes to support the authority and subsidies for the Affordable Care Act, six votes to overturn what the president did with tariffs in Canada, as well as a vote on jobs and apprenticeships that we won by five votes, and that was all just in recent weeks,” she said. “So, we see an indication of public opinion weighing in.”

Pelosi said she expects public opinion to shift as people better understand what is happening in government, and that change could influence how members of Congress view their roles and cast their votes.

“As I said earlier, our founders believed in the goodness of the American people, and that’s why they believed democracy could work,” she said. “So, you have to believe in the goodness and in hope.”