Sen. Mikulski: ‘I Will Not Be Seeking A Sixth Term’ In U.S. Senate

Sen. Barbara Mikulski, D-Maryland, poses for a portrait at her office, Tuesday, Jan. 4, 2011, in Baltimore. Mikulski will become the longest serving woman in the history of the U.S. Senate when she is sworn into her ... Sen. Barbara Mikulski, D-Maryland, poses for a portrait at her office, Tuesday, Jan. 4, 2011, in Baltimore. Mikulski will become the longest serving woman in the history of the U.S. Senate when she is sworn into her fifth term later this month. (AP Photo/Rob Carr) MORE LESS
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Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) announced Monday that she would not run for re-election in 2016.

CNN and The Washington Post reported ahead of Mikulski’s announcement that she would not run for re-election.

Mikulski said the question for her was if she should spend her time “raising money, or do I spend my time raising hell?”

“Do I focus on my election or do I focus on the next generation? Do I spend my time promising what I will do or do I do it now, and do it the way I’d like to do,” Mikulski said.

And then Mikulski said, “So I’m here today in Fell’s Point to announce that I will not be seeking a sixth term in the United States Senate.”

Mikulski announced her plans at a news conference at 11 a.m. on Monday at the Inn at Henderson’s Wharf. She plans to finish out her current term but not run for another one.

Mikulski, 78, is the longest serving female senator in the history of the country, and was also the first woman to chair the influential Senate Appropriations Committee.

Mikulski served five terms in office. She was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1976 and has served in the Senate since 1987.

This post has been updated.

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