Another member of Congress has announced plans to retire. Arizona Rep. Ed Pastor, a Democrat, said today that he will not run for re-election in November.
Pastor made the announcement on Twitter and Facebook. He has been in office for 23 years.
“It has been a great honor and experience, but it is time for me to close this chapter of my life and start a new one,” Pastor wrote. “I want to thank everyone who has assisted me and supported me throughout my career. Thank you very much for all of your support.”
Reuters notes that Pastor was the first Hispanic elected to represent Arizona in the House of Representatives. He was first elected in a special election in 1991 and was previously a Maricopa County supervisor.
The Arizona Republic reports that shortly after his announcement, state Rep. Ruben Gallego said he would run for the seat. Maricopa County Supervisor Mary Rose Wilcox is also considering a run.
Pastor’s district includes parts of Phoenix, Glendale and Guadalupe. He did not go into further detail about his decision to retire.
Pastor is the latest House member to announce plans to retire ahead of the 2014 midterm elections. California Congressmen Henry Waxman and George Miller and Michigan’s John Dingell are just a few of the Democrats who have decided not to run again.
image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
