WASHINGTON - (AP) -- A congressional official says House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi has told her party caucus she will remain as minority leader in the new session of Congress.

   This official says the 72-year-old Pelosi made the decision to remain at the helm of the party's House leadership even though Democrats failed to win the necessary 25 additional seats to become the majority party again.

   An official close to Pelosi revealed her decision on condition of anonymity because she hadn't yet publicly announced it.

   Pelosi's quarter-century of service in Congress representing a San Francisco area district in the House includes becoming the first woman in history to serve as speaker. The tea party-fueled political wave of 2010 forced the gavel from her hand to Rep. John Boehner, an Ohio Republican.