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Tom Harkin of Iowa Won’t Seek Re-election to Senate Tom Harkin of Iowa Won’t Seek Re-election to Senate
(about 2 hours later)
WASHINGTON — Senator Tom Harkin, a Democrat from Iowa who championed landmark legislation banning discrimination against people with disabilities, said Saturday he would retire and not seek re-election to a sixth term. WASHINGTON — Senator Tom Harkin, the Iowa Democrat who championed landmark legislation banning discrimination against people with disabilities, said Saturday that he would retire and not seek re-election to a sixth term next year.
The announcement from Mr. Harkin, 73, sets the stage for one of the most competitive Senate races in the country next year. It will be a key battleground in the Republican Party’s quest to win control of the chamber from Democrats. The announcement from Mr. Harkin, 73, sets the stage for one of the most competitive Senate races in the country in the 2014 midterm elections. It will be a key contest in the Republican Party’s quest to win control of the chamber from Democrats.
“To walk away from this position and this power is not an easy thing,” Mr. Harkin told The Des Moines Register on Saturday. “But I think it’s the right thing. And I have two years left. I’m not passing the torch sitting down, it’s a running relay. I intend to be very active over the next two years.” “It’s not easy to walk away, but life is fleeting,” Mr. Harkin said in an interview Saturday. “I’ve had the privilege to be here for 40 years. Too many people hang on to power for too long, and that’s not right.”
In a career spanning four decades in Washington, Mr. Harkin pushed for the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990 and was a leading voice in the overhauling of the nation’s health care system. He sought the Democratic presidential nomination in 1992. In a Washington career that began in 1974 when he was elected to the House, followed a decade later by his elevation to the Senate, he was a forceful voice of populism. He said that his biggest achievement was passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990, a bipartisan measure he advocated on behalf of his brother, Frank, who was deaf. He was also a leading proponent of overhauling the nation’s health care system.
The announcement from Mr. Harkin took many Democrats by surprise, particularly those in Iowa who had assumed he would seek re-election in 2014. His is the latest in a series of retirements, forcing Democrats to try to defend an open seat. Mr. Harkin sought the Democratic presidential nomination in 1992. But he has played a larger role in subsequent races for the White House as a fierce supporter of the Iowa caucuses that traditionally open the presidential campaign. Barack Obama, as a freshman senator from Illinois, made his Iowa debut at the state’s marquee political event in 2006, the Harkin Steak Fry.
The announcement from Mr. Harkin took some Democrats by surprise on Saturday, particularly because he had not previously signaled his intensions and had a campaign account of nearly $3 million. His is the latest in a series of Senate retirements, which forces Democrats to try to defend the open seat that would have otherwise been more challenging for Republicans.
“I appreciate that Senator Harkin has made this decision so early in the cycle, giving us ample time to recruit a strong Democratic candidate for this seat,” said Senator Michael Bennet of Colorado, chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. “Iowa has a strong record of electing great Democrats and I’m confident that we will elect a new Democratic senator next November.”“I appreciate that Senator Harkin has made this decision so early in the cycle, giving us ample time to recruit a strong Democratic candidate for this seat,” said Senator Michael Bennet of Colorado, chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. “Iowa has a strong record of electing great Democrats and I’m confident that we will elect a new Democratic senator next November.”
Representative Bruce Braley, Democrat of Iowa, is among the early prospects for the seat. He had been considering running for governor, but Mr. Harkin’s retirement gives him more options. Representative Bruce Braley, Democrat of Iowa, is among the party’s early prospects for the Mr. Harkin’s seat. He had been considering running for governor, but aides said Mr. Harkin’s retirement makes it certain that he will try to follow the example of Mr. Harkin and jump from the House to the Senate.
Republicans, who need to pick up six seats to win control of the Senate, will probably have a wide field of candidates, including Representative Steve King, who is among the most vocal opponents of an overhaul to the immigration system. Republicans, who need to pick up six seats to win control of the Senate, will probably draw a wide field of candidates. Party officials said one early contender could be Representative Steve King, who has drawn criticism from other Republicans for his outspoken opposition to changing the nation’s immigration system.
The Iowa race will be an early test for Republicans as the party tries to rebuild and recruit candidates who have a wide appeal to voters. The race in Iowa, one of the nation’s most consummate swing states, is still a challenge for Republicans and will be a critical test for the party as it tries to rebuild and recruit candidates who have a wide appeal to voters. Overhauling immigration laws is a top priority of many Republican leaders, and a candidacy by Mr. King could complicate those efforts.
In defending their control of the Senate, Democrats now face open seats in Iowa, Massachusetts and West Virginia. Iowa is a classic swing state, which President Obama carried in 2008 and 2012, but it has a Republican as its governor, Terry E. Branstad, and as its senior senator, Charles E. Grassley. Rob Collins, the executive director of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, said Saturday that the retirement of Mr. Harkin “immediately vaults Iowa into the top tier of competitive Senate races next year.”
In addition to Mr. Harkin, the Democratic retirements also include Senator John D. Rockefeller of West Virginia and potentially other senators. The party also is contending with a race in Massachusetts, where the successor to Senator John Kerry, who was nominated to serve as secretary of state, will stand for election in November 2014.
Republicans face retirements of their own, including Senator Saxby Chambliss of Georgia, who announced on Friday that he would not seek re-election next year. He was facing criticism from conservatives and could have faced a Republican primary challenge.