Rep. Bob Brady (D-PA), will not seek reelection once his term ends this year, according to local reports from ABC and CBS affiliates, as well as the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Brady’s attorney spoke with ABC 6 and said the Democratic congressman plans to retire when his term is up. The congressman himself confirmed the news to the Inquirer. His office is planning to hold a press conference to announce the decision at 1:30 p.m. EST Wednesday, according to ABC 6.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi released a statement confirming Brady’s retirement Wednesday afternoon. She called the 20-year congressman a “forceful champion for working people in Pennsylvania and across the nation.”
“My colleagues and I will always consider Congressman Brady to be our beloved ‘Mayor of Capitol Hill’ and will miss his steadfast leadership and his friendship,” she said in her statement. “We wish him and his family the best as he begins this new chapter of his journey.”
Brady has served in Congress since 1998. The congressman told The Inquirer that his family and exhaustion with Washington were part of his decision to leave the House.
Brady’s office has been plagued with scandal since last year when two of his aides were charged with lying to the FBI about a payment Brady’s campaign allegedly made to get a political opponent to quit a 2012 race. One of the aides has since pleaded guilty to the charges. Brady was not charged.
Brady’s attorney told ABC 6 that the corruption charges did not influence his client’s decision to retire.
At least one Democrat, Philadelphia’s deputy mayor, had already announced plans to challenge Brady in the May 2018 primary before he announced his retirement, according to the Inquirer.
Brady’s office did not immediately respond to TPM’s request for comment.
