Jerry Nadler says he will not run for reelection
Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY),after serving 34 years in Congress,announced he will not seek reelection. in a new York Times interview, Nadler, 78, cited the need for generational change within the Democratic Party, expressing hope that a younger successor might better address current challenges. He reflected on his career highlights, including leading the House Judiciary Committee and overseeing President Trump’s 2019 impeachment push, but also noted a decline in his influence after stepping down from his committee leadership earlier in the year. Nadler voiced deep concerns about the future of American democracy, describing Trump’s presidency as the most severe threat since the Civil War. Additionally, Nadler, who represents the district with the largest Jewish population in the U.S., expressed disillusionment with Israel’s recent actions amid the Israel-Hamas conflict. He plans to conclude his tenure as the longest-serving Jewish member of the House and the longest-serving representative from New York.
Jerry Nadler says he will not run for reelection
Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY) announced he will not run for reelection after 34 years in Congress.
His announcement, which he made in an interview with the New York Times, follows a continuing trend of older Congress leaders stepping down after decades in power, spurred by a wider debate about the growing dominance of the elderly in politics.
“Watching the Biden thing really said something about the necessity for generational change in the party, and I think I want to respect that,” Nadler, 78, said, adding that a younger successor “can maybe do better, can maybe help us more.”
Nadler refused to comment on who should be his successor or whether he believes anyone else in Congress should follow his example and retire due to his advanced age.
“I’m not saying we should change over the entire party,” he said. “But I think a certain amount of change is very helpful, especially when we face the challenge of Trump and his incipient fascism.”
Nadler reached his zenith while leading the House Judiciary Committee, successfully pushing for President Donald Trump’s impeachment in 2019. He began a slow descent in prominence afterward, stepping down from his leading role on the Judiciary Committee earlier this year. The ageing Democrat was forced out of the position after being challenged by the younger Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD).
In his interview, Nadler struck a noticeably pessimistic tone, voicing his fear that Trump was the harbinger of fascism and was undoing his life’s work.
“I am not terribly optimistic. I wish I could be,” he bemoaned. “But this is the most severe threat we’ve had to our system of government since the Civil War, and unfortunately, Abraham Lincoln is not the president.”
Nadler, who presides over the district with the highest population of Jewish people in the country, was similarly pessimistic about one of his core concerns: Israel. After beginning the Israel-Hamas war firmly in support of Israel, he has since grown disillusioned.
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“I don’t know what to say at this point,” he said. “I can’t defend what Israel is doing.”
Nadler will conclude his term as the longest-serving New Yorker and longest-serving Jewish House member.
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