Politico reported on Wednesday that sources said Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) will announce on May 5 that she will not seek re-election in 2026.
Schakowsky, 80, plans to retire when her current term ends, the sources told Politico.
She said that she would discuss her plans on May 5, but did not say anything publicly about retiring.
When the Politico report came out, she again refused to announce a decision, asking those interested to wait until May 5 for the decision.
Reportedly, she has begun talking to colleagues about her plans to retire, however.
Schakowsky was a leader of progressives in the House. I guess she has decided not to hang around to see if Democrats can retake the majority in 2026.
Many of the oldest members of Congress from both parties are retiring, particularly given that this is the oldest Congress anyone can remember.
Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin also announced his retirement on Wednesday. Durbin is also 80.
Politico called the current state of affairs among Democrats in Congress a "reckoning," with a number of young challengers attempting to displace some of the older members there.
Democratic National Committee vice chair David Hogg is one of those young Progressives. He said he would use the committee's funds to back challengers to older Democrats, but exempted Schakowsky and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (CA).
Maybe they got passes because they are women? It's hard to say.
It could be that Pelosi is still wielding her considerable power over the party and told Hogg not to go after Schakowsky. Every power move has its limits, after all.
Schakowsky was a major part of drafting Obamacare, and Pelosi appointed her in 2010 to Obama's Bowles-Simpson reform committee.
She also supports J Street, a radical anti-Israel group. She recently voted with 77 other Democrats to embargo Israel.
