Democratic Rep. Jerry Nadler made his impending retirement official in a Tuesday statement where he said it was “the right time to pass the torch to a new generation.”
The 78-year-old New Yorker, who has represented parts of Manhattan and Brooklyn in a 33-year House career, is stepping aside amid a broader thirst for generational change in the Democratic Party. Nadler, in an earlier interview with The New York Times, cited Joe Biden’s loss to Donald Trump in his decision to retire.
“When I step down at the end of this term, I will have served for 50 years in continuous elected public service to the people of New York,” Nadler said Tuesday.
He rose to be the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, but he relinquished the position last year amid questions in the Democratic Caucus about his ability to stand up to Trump and a challenge from Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.).
Nadler’s retirement will prompt a highly competitive primary in the deep-blue district, which currently includes midtown Manhattan north to Central Park. He was already facing a primary challenge from a candidate who sought to make age a factor in the race, and The New York Times reported Monday that Nadler would back state Rep. Micah Lasher, a former Nadler aide.
