It was reported by Fox News that New York Democrat Rep. Jerry Nadler may be concluding his nearly 30 years of congressional service at the end of his term in 2023, according to reports Saturday.
Fox News could not immediately reach Nadler for comment, but according to a Hill insider, Nadler has not decided whether he will seek re-election in 2022, reported the New York Post.
“People are wondering when he would decide to retire,” the source said. “He has a fighting spirit but maybe now is the time to exit.”
Nadler, 74, first took up his congressional seat in 1992, but with what some Democrats fear could be a challenging 2022 midterm election the long-time New York Representative may decide to pack it in.
The New York Democrat currently serves as chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, one of the most powerful committee positions in Congress.
The New York Post went on to report that a second person around Nadler said the congressman has refused to give a straight answer when the subject comes up. Nadler, like every member of the House, would be up for reelection in the 2022 midterms. He is unlikely to face a serious primary.https://imasdk.googleapis.com/js/core/bridge3.489.0_en.html#goog_844126271https://imasdk.googleapis.com/js/core/bridge3.489.0_en.html#goog_494548450https://imasdk.googleapis.com/js/core/bridge3.489.0_en.html#goog_457845192Though the 74-year-old has long been a vigorous and vocal legislator, some say age and ill health have finally caught up with him. Two people who saw him recently said he could barely walk.
In 2019 the Congressman nearly collapsed at a Manhattan press conference and had to be rushed to a hospital. He famously underwent gastric bypass surgery in 2002 and was once so obese he couldn’t use the subway. His wife Joyce Miller was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2020, forcing Nadler to miss part of President Trump’s impeachment trial.
“It’s not the first I’m hearing about it,” veteran Democratic consultant Hank Sheinkopf told The Post. “Does he really want to be in the minority next year. How much more can he get done.”
A Nadler departure would be good news for outgoing city Comptroller Scott Stringer, who is hunting for a Plan B after coming up short in the city mayor’s race earlier this year.
“If he retires there would be three obvious frontrunners to replace him, Scott Stringer, Scott Stringer and Scott Stringer,” said the Nadler associate.
