Nancy Pelosi is the first female speaker of the U.S house of representatives

Midterm elections were held in the United States on November 7, 2006, in the middle of Republican President George W. Bush's second term. With 31 seats gained, the Democratic Party was able to secure a majority. Nancy Pelosi, the House Minority Leader, was widely expected to become Speaker of the House in the next Congress after leading the opposition to a historic victory in the election. The Democratic caucus unanimously chose Pelosi as the Democratic nominee for Speaker of the House on November 16, 2006. Pelosi defeated Ohio Republican John Boehner with 233 votes to 202 votes in the election for the 52nd Speaker of the House.

As a result, she became the first female Speaker of the House of Representatives, the first Italian-American Speaker, and the first Californian Speaker. "This is a historic time – for the Congress, and for the women of America," she remarked as she accepted the position. We've been waiting for this moment for more than 200 years. Never losing hope, we persevered in our fight for our rights over many years." Nancy Pelosi was Speaker of the House from 2007 to 2011 and is up for re-election in 2019.