By Jasper Ward
WASHINGTON, Jan 7 (Reuters) – Democratic congressman Steny Hoyer said he will not seek reelection, ending a more than four decade career in the U.S House of Representatives, The Washington Post reported on Wednesday.
“I did not want to be one of those members who clearly stayed, outstayed his or her ability to do the job,” Hoyer, an 86-year-old representing Maryland’s 5th district, told the newspaper.
Hoyer, who suffered a mild stroke in 2024, plans to announce his retirement plans in a floor speech on Thursday, the Post reported.
He spent more than a decade in the Maryland state senate, where he served as president, before joining Congress.
Hoyner started his tenure in the House of Representatives in May 1981, making him the third-longest serving member of the chamber behind Republican Representatives Hal Rogers and Chris Smith, who started their congressional careers in January of that year. He is one of just 33 current or former members of the House to serve for 40 or more years.
Hoyer served as the House Majority Leader under former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the second-highest rank in the chamber’s Democratic leadership, and as the Minority Whip, responsible for coordinating the party’s votes on bills.
“Sure, I would have loved to have been speaker. Who wouldn’t love to be speaker? But they’re not deep regrets,” he told the Post.
(Reporting by Jasper Ward in Washington)
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