Florida Democratic Rep. Ted Deutch announced this week that he will not be running for reelection in this year’s midterm elections. He has served in Congress since 2010. He is leaving Congress to serve as the next chief executive officer of the American Jewish Committee.
The news was first reported by local outlet CBS Miami. Deutch, who represents Florida’s 22nd congressional district, shared a press release shortly after to confirm the news.
“After serving the public for more than 15 years, I have decided I will not seek re-election this November,” Deutch wrote in a statement. “Public service was instilled in me by my father who earned a Purple Heart in the Battle of the Bulge, and it has been a tremendous privilege to serve the people of Palm Beach and Broward Counties in Congress since 2010. I am incredibly grateful to my constituents for their support and friendship.”
“In my seven terms in Congress, I have worked hard and tried to find common ground. I’m proud of my work to make our communities safer from gun violence, strengthen social security and protect our most vulnerable seniors, and ensure Holocaust survivors can live in dignity. I’m proud of the many bipartisan ways we’ve come together - to provide resources for those battling eating disorders, to help seniors at risk of fraud, and to combat climate change,” the statement continued. “And in a dangerous world, I’ve worked with my colleagues to fight terrorism and rogue regimes like Iran, and to support our military and veterans, including securing recognition for heroic World War II, Korea, and Vietnam heroes who had been denied the honor they deserved.”
In Congress, Deutch serves on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, House Judiciary Committee, and is chairman of the House Ethics Committee. Deutch is also the co-chair of the Bipartisan Anti-Semitism Task Force.
In his statement, Deutch said that “we have also seen an unprecedented rise in antisemitism in our own country,” which is why he is leaving Congress to spearhead the American Jewish Committee.
“I will be forever grateful for the opportunity you have given me to serve our community and to serve our country. I have been touched and inspired by so many people I have been privileged to meet. I have seen the good that can be accomplished when we work together, and I am forever hopeful about our future. Serving as your representative has been the greatest honor of my life,” he wrote.
Deutch is the 31st House Democrat to announce they will not be seeking reelection. This month, New York Democratic Rep. Kathleen Rice announced that she would not be seeking reelection. Other House Democrats to call it quits include Tennessee Rep. Jim Cooper, Texas Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson, and Illinois Rep. Bobby Rush.
In an interview with Fox News late last year, former Florida governor and current Sen. Rick Scott (R) said that Republicans are going to do “unbelievably” well in the 2022 elections.
“We’re going to take back the Senate, absolutely,” Scott told Fox News. “We’re going to do unbelievably well in 2022 because we have the right message.”
Last month, as Townhall covered, Cooper said in an interview with Nashville Scene that the Democratic party is “facing extinction” and “needs to improve it’s management capabilities” as they “do not anticipate and organize and plan.”