Rep. Ed Pastor (D-AZ) is retiring from Congress.
He announced on Thursday that he would not seek another term as congressman of the Seventh District of Arizona. Pastor, 70, has served in Congress for 23 years.
“I’ve been in public office for 39 years and it’s been a pleasure to serve the people of Arizona,” Pastor said in a statement on Thursday according to Roll Call. “After 23 in Congress, I feel it’s time for me to seek out a new endeavor. It’s been a great honor, a great experience and a great joy for me to serve in Congress. I think it’s time for me to do something else.”
Pastor’s district is likely to stay in Democratic hands. It went for President Barack Obama in 2012 by a whopping 45 percentage points. Obama took 72 percent of the vote while Mitt Romney took 27 percent. In 2008 65 percent of Pastor’s district went for Obama while 34 percent of the district went for Sen. John McCain (R-AZ).
