Rep. Bill Owens (D-NY) announced Tuesday that he would not seek re-election in November.
“After careful thought and consideration, I have decided not to seek re-election for the 21st Congressional District this November,” Owens said in a statement on Tuesday.
Owens is the latest in a number of House lawmakers who have announced retirements over the last few weeks. A day earlier Rep. George Miller (D-CA), a close ally of House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), announced that he would retire at the end of the year.
Owens was first elected in 2009 after he won a special election, in what many media members dubbed a referendum on President Barack Obama since it was the first special election after his inauguration. In 2010 he also won re-election in a tight three-way race against Republican Matt Doheny and Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman.
