Rep. Jan Schakowsky is planning to announce next month she won’t seek reelection after 14 terms in the House and has started informing allies of her retirement decision, according to two people granted anonymity to describe the private conversations.
The veteran Illinois Democrat, 80, confirmed in a statement that an announcement is forthcoming, though she did not say what it would entail: “I’m going to announce my plans on May 5th. Stay tuned,” she said. Schakowsky’s annual Ultimate Women’s Power Lunch is set for that date in Chicago.
A longtime leader of the progressive bloc in Congress, Schakowsky has been on retirement watch for months. She is already facing a longshot primary challenge from influencer Kat Abughazaleh.
But the competition the deep-blue seat that includes part of Chicago and some northern suburbs is likely to be among more established Illinois Democrats. State Sen. Laura Fine and Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss are widely expected to enter the race after Schakowsky makes her plans public.
Schakowsky’s decision to retire comes as Democrats face an internal reckoning over age and seniority as seasoned lawmakers face primary challengers who are arguing for generational change. On Wednesday, longtime Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin, also 80, announced his own retirement. And David Hogg recently sparked a firestorm in the party by saying he’d put millions towards primary challenges to Democrats in safe seats, though he said he wouldn’t back challenges to Schakowsky or former Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Schakowsky was first elected to the House in 1998 after eight years as a state legislator, defeating primary challenger JB Pritzker, who would years later become governor of Illinois. She serves on the House Energy and Commerce Committee and is a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.
Pelosi, a longtime friend and ally of Schakowsky’s, appointed her in 2010 to serve on President Barack Obama’s National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, also known as Bowles-Simpson. Schakowsky opposed the deficit reduction proposal presented by Republicans and offered her own approach, which she said at the time reached the same fiscal goals without cutting Social Security, Medicare or Medicaid.
Schakowsky also has been an advocate for health care and senior issues, including serving as a major player in the drafting of the Affordable Care Act ahead of its enactment in 2010.