Democratic Rep. Jim Clyburn announced Thursday that he is running for reelection in South Carolina’s 6th Congressional District, continuing a decades-long career in Congress as many of his colleagues retire.
“I’m going to celebrate the 47th anniversary of my 39th birthday — adds up to 86 years,” the congressman said while announcing his reelection bid. “But if I were not up to it, I would not do it.”
Clyburn left his future up in the air.
“It could be my last term, and it very well could not be,” he said later when asked if he expects this to be his final campaign.
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Clyburn, 85, was first elected in 1992 and has served in leadership with former Speaker Nancy Pelosi and former House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, both of whom are retiring after this term. But Clyburn and his allies have been suggesting for months that he would run for reelection, as NOTUS reported in January.
Clyburn’s seat in the House is almost certainly safe, putting him in the position to serve another term. The district favors Democrats by 13 percentage points, and potential primary challengers have not signaled a run against Clyburn.
Clyburn said that he spoke with his daughters while deciding whether to run, asking them: “What is being said among the people that you all interact with every day?”
“It made it very clear to me that people felt invested in me,” he said. “They had voted for me, and I should not be listening to the Washington pundits when it comes to this office. And I was really all that satisfied with that.”
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