Rep. José Serrano (D-NY), who has represented the Bronx in the House of Representatives since 1990, announced Monday that he was “living with Parkinson’s disease” and would not seek re-election.
“Today, I am announcing that I am living with Parkinson’s disease,” Serrano wrote in a press release. “After my diagnosis, I initially planned to continue my work representing the people of the South Bronx far into the future – a responsibility that brings me great joy. Although this disease has not affected my work in Congress, over the last few months I’ve come to the realization that Parkinson’s will eventually take a toll, and that I cannot predict its rate of advancement.”
“Because of this uncertainty, I do not intend to seek re-election in 2020. I do intend to serve the remainder of my term in the 116th Congress.”
Long a voice on the left of the House Democratic caucus, Serrano joined dozens of his colleagues in 2017 in skipping President Donald Trump’s inauguration, writing on Instagram at the time that he could not “celebrate the inauguration of a man who has no regard for my constituents. #Bronx“