Rep. Kathleen Rice, D-N.Y., has announced her retirement. She’s become the 30th House Democrat to decline re-election, according to Politico.
Democrats are leaving the House in droves.
Of the 30 retiring Democrats, only eight are seeking other offices, and 22 are retiring from elected office altogether, according to the New York Post.
The president’s party usually loses House seats during midterm elections, and the Republicans only need a net gain of six seats in order to flip the chamber.
However, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., has dismissed predictions about the historical likelihood of a red wave. “Forget history,” she said Sunday on ABC News.
In a statement, Rice discussed her career in public service, but she has yet to reveal her future plans.
“I entered public service 30 years ago and never left,” Rice tweeted.
“I have always believed that holding political office is neither a destiny nor a right. As elected officials, we must give all we have and then know when it is time to allow others to serve.”
She tweeted her announcement on Tuesday, her 57th birthday.
Happy Birthday to Democratic Congresswoman Kathleen Rice! @KathleenRice is a champion for veterans and is the author of the Veterans and Servicemember Consumer Protection Act, directing the @FTC to prevent fraud targeting military veterans, service members, and their families. pic.twitter.com/UXhuH3Acsz
— TweetingBlue (@TweetingBlue1) February 15, 2022
Rice began her career as a county prosecutor in Brooklyn, New York. She later became a federal prosecutor in Philadelphia.
Rice was registered as a Republican until 2005. Then she switched parties and won a municipal election to become the top prosecutor in Nassau County, New York.
Since then, Rice has feuded with conservatives. In 2017, she tweeted that conservative commentator Dana Loesch was a threat to national security. Loesch demanded an apology after hearing of Rice’s retirement on Twitter.
Rice remains a card-carrying member of the New Democrat Coalition, a caucus devoted to the fiscal policies of former President Bill Clinton. Politico has described her as “moderate.”
She successfully ran for the House in 2014 to represent her Long Island district. In the House, she became known for her opposition to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y.
Rice voted against Pelosi’s leadership bids in 2016 and 2018. Rice may have been kept off the Judiciary Committee for that reason in 2019, according to Politico.
A year later, Rice successfully challenged Ocasio-Cortez for an empty spot on the Energy and Commerce Committee. She changed her mind about Pelosi shortly after that, and she voted for Pelosi’s speakership.
In May, Rice became the first congressional Democrat to call for the resignation of New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
Read her full statement here —
As I turn to the next chapter of my own personal and professional story, I do so with profound thanks to the community leaders, colleagues and staff who have lived our shared commitment to service with courage and humility. pic.twitter.com/GBVvtrWpia
— Archived: U.S. Rep Kathleen Rice (@RepKathleenRice) February 15, 2022
The Horn editorial team