Sen. Patrick Leahy announced Monday he will retire at the end of his term.
In office since 1975, the 81-year-old Vermont Democrat is the longest serving senator still in office.
"While I will continue to serve Vermont, Marcelle and I have reached the conclusion that it's time to put down the gavel. It is time to pass the torch to the next Vermonter who will carry on this work for our great state. It's time to come home," Leahy said at a press conference in Vermont.
"I'm proud to be Vermont's longest-serving senator because I know my time in the Senate has made a difference for Vermonters," he continued. "I know I've been there for my state when I was needed most. I know I've taken our best ideas and helped them grow. I brought Vermont's voice to the United States Senate and Vermont's values around the world."
.@SenatorLeahy: "It is time to put down the gavel. It is time pass the torch...It is time to come home." pic.twitter.com/82ceDSekT0
— CSPAN (@cspan) November 15, 2021
Leahy is now the fourth longest-serving senator in history, having surpassed Ted Kennedy a few weeks ago https://t.co/fDgTokXFOm
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) November 15, 2021
Now remains to be seen whether Sens. John Thune and Ron Johnson run for re-election or opt to retire
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) November 15, 2021
The announcement marks the end of a political era. First elected to the Senate in 1974, Leahy is the last of the so-called Watergate babies who were elected after President Richard Nixon’s resignation. During his nearly half-century in the Senate, Vermont shifted from one of the most solidly Republican states in the country to one of its most progressive.
That transition will be critical to Democrats who hope to maintain control of the Senate after next year’s midterm elections. With the chamber evenly divided, the party can’t afford to lose any of its current seats. [...]
By retiring and creating the first vacancy in Vermont’s congressional delegation since 2006, Leahy sets up a scramble to succeed him among a number of the state’s up-and-coming politicians. (AP)
Leahy is now the sixth U.S. senator to announce their retirement. Sens. Richard Burr, Roy Blunt, Richard Shelby, Pat Toomey, and Rob Portman—all Republicans—have also said they’re leaving public office.
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