WASHINGTON — Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md., will announce Thursday that he is not seeking re-election, a spokesperson for the congressman confirmed to NBC News.
The 86-year-old is the longest-serving Democrat in the House, having held his seat since he won a special election in 1981. Hoyer announced his decision on the chamber floor Thursday.
"I make this decision with sadness, for I love this House, an institution the framers designed to reflect the will of the American people and to serve as the guardian of their liberty and their democracy," Hoyer said in a speech to fellow lawmakers.
Politico first reported the news of his retirement.
Hoyer rose through Democratic leadership to eventually serve as majority leader twice under then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and as her deputy when she was minority leader. He stepped down from leadership in 2022 at the same time as Pelosi.
"I think it’s always good for a party to have new blood and new invigoration, new enthusiasm, and new ideas," he said at the time.
In his remarks on the House floor, he recalled hearing then-Sen. John F. Kennedy speak at his college in 1959, which prompted him to change his major to political science, setting him off on a path to be elected to the Maryland state Senate and ultimately Congress.
Hoyer also reflected on how Congress was "somewhat different" when he began his tenure in 1981, noting how lawmakers from both parties "worked together in a collegial, productive way."
"At the outset, I said that I spoke with reluctant conviction," he said later. "That reluctance is because I am deeply concerned that this House is not living up to the founders' goals. I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to examine their conscience, renew their courage and carry out the responsibilities that the first article of the Constitution demands."
Later, he said he feared that the country "is heading not toward greatness, but towards smallness, pettiness, divisiveness."
Former President Joe Biden paid tribute to Hoyer, saying in a post to X that "it’s hard to put into words the mark Steny Hoyer’s decades of public service have left on our nation."
"Beyond his remarkable record, it’s been a privilege to call Steny a dear friend," Biden, formerly a long-serving senator from Delaware, said later in the post. "He is a great American, and truly the very best."
Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., said in a post to X that Hoyer's retirement "is truly the end of an era," adding that Hoyer "always chose the more civil path, which is why he earned the mutual respect of his colleagues on both sides of the aisle — as a fair dealer, a respected leader, and an institution within the institution he most loved."
Hoyer's retirement comes amid a wider party conversation about generational change, as younger Democrats push for new representation on the Hill. The debate reignited after then-President Joe Biden's debate performance led him to ultimately drop out of the 2024 presidential race as voters voiced widespread concerns over his age.
Hoyer's retirement comes as Democrats hope to regain control of the House in this fall's midterm elections. His solid blue district stretches southward outside of Washington, D.C., and in 2024, he won re-election with 67.9% of the vote.
Hoyer has previously also served in other Democratic leadership roles as the chair of the House Democratic Caucus and the minority whip.
