High-Ranking Democrat Announces Retirement
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Maryland Democrat Rep. Steny Hoyer, a longtime power broker who used to be Nancy Pelosi’s top aide in the House, announced that he will leave Congress at the end of his term. Hoyer, who is 86 years old, made the announcement from the House floor. “I stand here now, after some 60 years in public service,” Hoyer said. “Mr. Speaker, I have decided not to seek another term in the People’s House. I make this decision with sadness, for I love this House, an institution the framers designed to reflect the will of the American people and to serve as the guardian of their liberty and their democracy.”
“I am deeply concerned that this House is not living up to the founders’ goals. I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to examine their consciences, renew their courage, and carry out the responsibilities that the First Article of the Constitution demands,” Hoyer said.
Hoyer has been a leader in the Democratic Party for decades. He started his political career in the Maryland State Senate, where he served from 1966 to 1979. Later, he became a member of the state’s Board for Higher Education. In 1980, he won his first race for Congress.
He joined the House in 1981 and worked his way up through the ranks. From 2003 to 2007, he was the Democratic whip, and from 2007 to 2011 and again from 2019 to 2023, he was the majority leader.
Hoyer has been in Congress for 45 years, making him the longest-serving House member in Maryland history, according to his biography.
He said that the chamber had changed a lot since he first came there more than 40 years ago.
“The Congress I entered in 1981 was somewhat different,” Hoyer said. “Most Republicans and Democrats worked together in a collegial, productive way. The leaders of the House, Tip O’Neill and Bob Michael, fostered that environment. It was, of course, not a Congress without conflict.”
“I fear that America is heading not toward greatness, but toward smallness, pettiness, divisiveness, and loneliness,” he added.