Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) said he plans to leave Congress at the end of his term instead of run for reelection in 2026 while calling for “generational change” in the Democratic Party.
Nadler, 78, a fiery Manhattan liberal who has served in the House for more than three decades, told The New York Times in an interview published Monday evening that Democrats need fresh faces.
“Watching the Biden thing really said something about the necessity for generational change in the party, and I think I want to respect that,” Nadler told the Times, adding a younger successor “can maybe do better, can maybe help us more.”
Nadler reportedly shared his decision last week on the condition the news not be published until this week, when Congress is set to reconvene following its month-long recess.
The Hill has reached out to Nadler’s office for comment.
Nadler earlier this year bowed out of the race for the top Democratic spot on the House Judiciary Committee, saying he wanted to usher in a new generation of leadership in key roles in Washington. Nadler rose to the top of the Judiciary panel during President Trump’s first term in 2017 and helped guide the two impeachments of Trump.
Democrats have clamored for younger leadership following former President Biden’s decision to exit the 2024 presidential race amid concerns over his mental acuity, a move that came late in the election cycle and which many party insiders blame for Trump’s ultimate victory in November.
Nadler’s retirement sets up a likely crowded race to succeed him in the deep-blue and ultra-wealthy district running through Manhattan. A source told the Times that Nadler planned to back a former aide, Micah Lasher, a New York State Assembly member. Lasher declined to comment to the newspaper.
In his interview with the Times, Nadler suggested that other veteran Democrats should also eye the exits, without naming any specific individuals.
“I’m not saying we should change over the entire party,” he said. “But I think a certain amount of change is very helpful, especially when we face the challenge of Trump and his incipient fascism.”
