Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairman Rep. Steve Israel (D-NY) praised the work of Democratic Reps. Mike McIntyre (NC) and Carolyn McCarthy (NY) in response to them announcing that they would not not seek re-election on Wednesday.
The chairman of House Democrats’ campaign arm praised McIntyre, one of the last remaining Blue Dog Democrats in Congress, for his ability to work with Republicans.
“Mike McIntyre has been an effective leader and commonsense voice for the people of North Carolina for more than 15 years, and he will be missed,” Israel said in a statement. “He has worked across the aisle to forge bipartisan consensus, and work for fiscal responsibility, accountability in government and creating good jobs. Mike’s ability to work across the aisle and get things done for his constituents were hallmarks of his leadership. I wish him and his family well on their next endeavor, and thank Mike for his dedicated service.”
In a separate, longer statement Israel also praised McCarthy’s time in office:
Carolyn McCarthy has been a dedicated public servant for more than 14 years, and it has been an honor to represent the people of Long Island with her. I have had the privilege of working closely with her to create jobs, protect Long Island Sound, and serve the island we both call our lifelong home. As the first woman to represent Long Island, she has been a champion for our children and our schools, and for affordable higher education, and we have worked together to try to end the scourge of gun violence on our communities.
Carolyn’s successor will have big shoes to fill. We are confident that the people of this strongly Democratic seat will choose a replacement who will follow Carolyn’s tradition of putting middle class families first and fighting for the safety of our schools and neighborhoods.
My colleagues and I are sad to see her go and she will be missed. I offer her and her family the warmest of wishes as they begin their next chapter, and thank Carolyn for her years of distinguished service.
The DCCC’s counterpart, the National Republican Campaign Committee, responded with seeming glee to retirement announcements. NRCC National press secretary Daniel Scarpinato released a statement in an email titled “Who’s Next.”
House Democrats just watched two races vanish for them, putting their hopes of making Nancy Pelosi Speaker of the House again in serious peril. With President Obama and the failure of ObamaCare poisoning the political well for Democrats in 2014, the only question is – who is next?
Still, it’s unlikely that Republicans will take both seats. McCarthy’s district is safely Democratic, but McIntyre was described by Roll Call as one of the “most vulnerable” Democrats of the 2014 election cycle.
