Longtime Rep. Jerry Nadler will not run for reelection

Rep. Jerry Nadler of New York on Tuesday said he will not pursue office again next year, marking the end of his 33-year Congressional career and a changing of the guard in the Democrat party.

Nadler, 78, has been a key voice on issues like big tech and privacy law, the Middle East. His district included the Twin Towers during the 2001 attack on the World Trade Center. As chairman of the powerful Judiciary Committee, Nadler helped launch the 2019 and 2021 efforts to impeach Donald Trump. Nadler has also been a longstanding voice of support for Israel amid division in the Democratic Party over whether the U.S. should support Jerusalem’s war on Gaza.

Nadler will serve out the remainder of his term, which ends in January 2027. He did not describe what kind of role he hopes to play in his time after office.

How does he see his work in Congress? “I am proud of the thousands of votes I have taken over the years to help pass the Affordable Care Act, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act, the Inflation Reduction Act and of the role I played to approve the Iran nuclear deal to prevent their development of nuclear weapons,” Nadler said.

“I am equally proud of some legislation that I voted against – including the USA PATRIOT Act, the resolution authorizing the use of force against Iraq, and more recently, President Trump’s Big Ugly Bill.”

What’s the context? Nadler’s decision to step down allows new candidates to rise in a strongly Democratic New York district.

Nadler, who represents the Empire State’s 12th Congressional district, last won reelection in 2024 by a solid 61%. And while a successor may not have the same name recognition as Nadler, Democrats would likely enjoy a safe seat for decades to come in the House of Representatives.

The race to replace Nadler is likely to be highly competitive and could indicate the party’s direction and priorities.

Even before President Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 election amid criticism of his age, Democrats have grappled with the composition of their party. For many, Biden’s decline was a clear indicator that the party needed new faces in its leadership and in its ranks.

Even aside from questions about age, emerging public figures like Zoran Mandani, a progressive, self-described socialist candidate for New York mayor, have prompted questions about what kinds of candidates best represent the Democratic brand and resonate the most with voters.

Dig deeper: Take a trip back down memory lane to see how lawmakers were processing Biden’s age amid the 2024 presidential campaign and what Democrats told me in the aftermath of a disastrous presidential debate.