Leftist Democratic Rep. Jan Schakowsky will likely retire at the end of May after 14 terms, Breitbart reported. The 80-year-old was first elected to represent the people of the 9th congressional district of Illinois in 1999.
"I’m going to announce my plans on May 5th. Stay tuned," Schakowsky initially said about her decision to retire rather than seek reelection in 2026. In a later post on X, formerly Twitter, on Wednesday, Schakowsky hinted at this eventuality.
"I have not made a decision about my plans for re-election - I will make that decision in the coming weeks and announce on May 5," Schakowsky wrote. Her post to social media came after Politico broke the news.
I have not made a decision about my plans for re-election - I will make that decision in the coming weeks and announce on May 5.
— Jan Schakowsky (@RepSchakowsky) April 23, 2025
With her departure, Schakowsky leaves behind a legacy of leftism befitting of an Illinois liberal. She won her seat after a three-way primary for the Democrats in 1998, where she beat out J.B. Pritzker, who is the state's current governor.
During the 2009 debate over Obamacare, Schakowsky proclaimed that it would "put the private health insurance industry out of business." She meant this is a positive, of course, saying the quiet part out loud as many others were attempting to hide that aim.
Then, despite her position in a heavily Jewish district, Schakowsky has joined with her fellow leftists in aligning against Israel. She was among the 77 Democratic lawmakers in Congress who supported an embargo on Israel last year.
Most recently, Schakowsky offered a ridiculous explanation for the "low number" of women in the manufacturing industry. "I'm just wondering if just the name manufacturing sounds like a guy," Schakowsky conjectured.
Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D) suggests that the reason more women don't go into manufacturing is because "the name manufacturing sounds like a guy."pic.twitter.com/l0dndiAmIY
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) February 13, 2025
It seems that Schakowsky's impending retirement is part of a growing trend among Democrats in Illinois and nationwide that has the party panicking. Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin has also announced he would retire after almost 40 years in the U.S. Senate, Fox News reported.
The Illinois Democrat is one of several elderly lawmakers exiting in what the network is calling the "Biden effect." It primarily impacts Democrats, who were burned in the 2024 presidential election by Biden's decision to stay in the race despite his obvious age-related issues.
"This is fallout from the 'Biden Effect.' It contaminated old Democrats," Rutgers University political scientist Ross Baker said. Several elderly politicians announced they would not seek reelection before Biden dropped out in July, but the party continues to lose incumbents.
Meanwhile, Durbin is facing a challenge from 59-year-old Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, and Schakowsky's rival is influencer Kat Abughazaleh, who is just 26 years old. This is a clear sign that voters are ready for younger candidates to replace these Washington, D.C., mainstays.
The Democratic Party is still in shambles after the 2024 election, which demonstrated how out of touch they are with voters. Replacing these dinosaurs with younger candidates may help, but the American people are tired of the policies as much as they are of the people.
