Long-serving Democratic Reps. Jim Langevin of Rhode Island and Jerry McNerney of California announced Tuesday that they will not be seeking reelection in November, joining the more than two dozen House Democrats planning to retire after this term of Congress.McNerney, who has served since 2007, announced that he will not run for another term in Congress, pointing to California’s newly-drawn 9th congressional district. “Today I am announcing that I will not seek reelection in California’s newly created 9th Congressional District,” he wrote on Twitter. “I am honored that the citizens of California’s 9th Congressional District chose me as their representative in the past five elections, and that those in California’s previous 11th Congressional District gave me the privilege of representing them for three terms.”
Instead, Democratic Rep. Josh Harder of California announced Tuesday he would run for the seat. McNerney is one of many House Democrats to announce they won’t run for reelection following the once-a-decade redistricting process.
California’s redistricting commission last month formally approved the state’s new congressional map, which still favors Democrats but could create an opportunity for Republicans in the newly created 9th District that encompasses Stockton and San Joaquin county. Rhode Island has yet to finalize its congressional map.
In a column for The Providence Journal, Langevin, who has served more than two decades in Congress, said he did not “come to this decision lightly, but it is time for me to chart a new course, which will allow me to stay closer to home and spend more time with my family and friends.”
Langevin, first elected to Congress in 2000, became the first quadriplegic to serve in the US House. In 2010, he became the first person in a wheelchair to preside over the House of Representatives on the 20th anniversary of the Americans with Disability Act.
As a 16-year-old, Langevin was left paralyzed after a gun accidentally discharged and a bullet struck him, while he was working with the Warwick Police Department as part of the Boy Scout Explorer program, according to his congressional biography. Langevin has also authored and backed cybersecurity legislation. He currently serves as the chair of the House Armed Services’ subcommittee on cyber and co-founded the Congressional Cybersecurity Caucus in 2008. He also co-chairs the Bipartisan Disabilities Caucus, among other caucuses.McNerney is a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee and the Science, Space and Technology Committee. He was the main sponsor of the Consumer Safety Technology Act, which would require agencies explore the use of AI to help with consumer safety and study the potential use of blockchain technology.Langevin and McNerney are at least the 27th and 28th House Democrats to announce they won’t seek reelection, as their party fights to maintain their slim majority in Congress in the 2022 midterm elections.
Several high-profile Democrats, including Reps. Peter DeFazio, Jackie Speier, and Bobby Rush, already announced their intentions to leave Congress and retire after this session.
Some have said, they think most of the Democrats are checking out because they no longer want to be a part of the presidency we are currently under. With such trying times and horrible situations, most would want to checkout and avoiding getting caught up in the drama.
