Rep. Norm Dicks (D-Wash.), the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, announced Friday that he will not be running for reelection in 2012.
The 18-term representative, first elected in 1976, said he and his wife Suzie ?have made the decision to change gears and enjoy life at a different pace.?
Continue ReadingDicks faced a relatively clear path to reelection in a newly redrawn, western Washington-based Sixth District seat that was Democratic-friendly.
?I have truly enjoyed every day here and have cherished all of the friendships we have made with many of the finest public servants in the nation,? he said in a statement Friday. ?I am proud that many of these friendships have crossed the ideological and party lines that tend to separate us, and I have always believed that we can achieve greater results if we leave politics aside when the election season and the floor debates are over.?
Dicks met with House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) in person Thursday to inform of his decision. His retirement announcement was the third in four days from longtime legislators on Capitol Hill that wipes out 100 years of institutional knowledge ? Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) and Rep. David Dreier (R-Calif.) also announced their departures this week.
Dicks is the top Democrat on the powerful Appropriations Committee, and would become the panel?s chairman if Democrats won control of the House. Next in line for the top Democratic position is Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio), who is facing a tough primary challenge from Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio). Two other female House Democrats ? Rep. Connecticut Rosa DeLauro and New York Rep. Nita Lowey ? are seen as possible rivals to Kaptur, who is the longest-serving woman in the House. DeLauro recently hired former Appropriations staff director Bev Pheto as her chief of staff.
?I would be very surprised if someone else didn?t jump in? for the top Democratic slot on the spending committee, said a former Appropriations Committee aide.
Dicks?s departure further pushes the balance of Democratic appropriators away from Pentagon allies and toward concerns focusing more on domestic issues. Dicks is also a deal-maker, and Republicans on Friday praised the Washington Democrat?s ability to work across the aisle.
?Norm Dicks and I have been friends and colleagues for many years, and I have rarely had the chance to work with someone of his decency, strong work ethic, jovial character, and honesty,? Appropriations Chairman Hal Rogers (R-Ky.) said in a statement Friday.
?Norm Dicks is a true Washington state institution,? Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) said in a statement. ?But more than that, he is my mentor, my friend, my advisor, my teammate, and my brother. He is our state?s quarterback here in Congress, and I can?t imagine our delegation without him.
Alex Isenstadt contributed to this story.
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