U.S. Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY) announced Monday that he will not be seeking re-election next November, marking an end to his 34-year career in Washington.
Nadler, who currently serves as ranking member on the House Judiciary Committee, cited the need for “generational change” and the Democrats’ disastrous decision to run former President Biden despite obvious signs of cognitive decline as primary factors. “Watching the Biden thing really said something about the necessity for generational change in the party,” the congressman told the New York Times, “and I think I want to respect that.”
The congressman added that a younger replacement “can maybe do better, can maybe help us more,” he told the outlet.
Nadler’s political career began in 1977, when he was first elected to the New York State Assembly. He served there until 1992, when he was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives.
Throughout his 37-year career in Washington, Nadler represented four different districts thanks to map redraws. He currently represents the Empire State’s 12 Congressional District, a Democrat stronghold that includes parts of the Upper East Side, the Upper West Side and nearly all of midtown Manhattan.
According to the Cook Partisan Voting Index, the 12th district currently sits at D+33. The district’s hyper partisan lean is expected to lead to a highly competitive Democratic Party primary.
“It’s a big deal. Nadler is a legend. He’s an institution in both Manhattan and Washington,” a Democratic Party insider told the New York Post. “His retirement represents a generational opening. I could see at least a half dozen people running for that seat in a Democratic primary,” the insider added.
Nadler’s announcement follows a string of high-profile party retirements, particularly among elderly members in deep blue districts. Longtime U.S. Rep. Danny Davis (D-IL) retired from his D+37 district last month, triggering a tense primary cycle that is expected to be replicated in Nadler’s district.
Davis joined fellow Illinois representative Jan Schakowsky in stepping aside after decades in office. Schakowsky, 80, who serves as House Democrats’ chief deputy whip, had been facing a challenge from 26-year-old progressive Kat Abughazaleh.
