This week, Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY) announced that he was not going to run for re-election.
Nadler stated that he was retiring to allow a generational change in Congress.
Yet, the first person to announce a run to fill the vacancy was former Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), who is 79 years old.
When New York last drew its new district boundaries, it meant that either Nadler or Maloney would be out of Congress.
Nadler ended up getting the primary nod, eliminating Maloney, who had been serving in Congress for about three decades.
He also took out Suraj Patel, who has failed to get out of a Democratic Primary race in three straight tries.
Nadler, however, just announced that this term will be his last.
Nadler has been in Congress for decades, and it was probably time for him to step down several years ago, but at least he is finally leaving.
He stated, "For more than 32 years, I have had the honor of serving the people of New York in the United States Congress. Today, I am announcing that I will not be seeking re-election next year and that this term in Congress will be my last.”
He continued, "This decision has not been easy. But I know in my heart it is the right one and that it is the right time to pass the torch to a new generation."
You guys all know I support these fossils leaving office, as we have far too many members over 70, and as I have stated before, it is not necessarily about their age, as it is the fact that I don’t think this abundance of 70 and 80-year-old members of Congress can relate to today’s voters.
Maloney says that a lot of people are asking her to run -- so much for generational change.
She stated, “I think right now, I’m going to keep my options open and my eyes open.”
Maloney continued, “We have an election on Nov. 5 … a very important one for mayor, city council, comptroller … we’ve got to get through that, but I will tell you, people have been calling me, from Washington, electeds and constituents, and others, urging me to run.”
I highly doubt that is the case, as I think this is more about ego and hubris than anything else. But you know what the reality of this is? If she is on the ticket, people will likely vote for her due to name recognition over policy. And that is just the sad reality of today’s politicians and the voters who put them into office.
