Rep. Jerry Nadler will not seek reelection in 2026, he announced Tuesday, heeding Democrats’ calls for senior lawmakers to step aside and allow for younger candidates to run for office.
“This decision has not been easy. But I know in my heart it is the right one and that it is the right time to pass the torch to a new generation,” Nadler, who is 78, said in a statement.
Nadler’s retirement, first reported by The New York Times on Monday, comes amid a growing push for the Democratic Party to prioritize younger leadership and generational change.
Nadler is the fourth Democratic member of Congress this session to announce that he will retire next year. Meanwhile, many older lawmakers in the party have doubled down on plans to run again in the 2026 midterm elections despite pressure to clear a path for younger challengers.
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The New York congressman has served in Congress for 32 years. He was the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee from 2017 until the beginning of this year, a role that included leading impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump in 2019 and 2021. He announced in December that he would not seek reelection for the ranking member position.
“I look back with great pride on all that I’ve been able to accomplish in Congress,” his statement said.
Nadler’s announcement will almost certainly set up a competitive primary in the solidly blue 12th Congressional District.
A person familiar with Nadler’s thinking told The New York Times that the congressman will support New York state Assemblymember Micah Lasher, who previously served as an aide to Nadler, if he runs.
The district — New York City’s wealthiest — also houses several prominent Manhattan neighborhoods, and New York strategists have suggested that other politicians like New York City Councilmember Julie Menin and former Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan could also jump in. Other city and state representatives have also expressed interest.
And there’s at least one political newcomer who has jumped in already. Liam Elkind, 26, announced in late July that he would run against Nadler in a quest for younger, newer leadership in Congress.
“I think we have one shot left to get our country back or we’re at risk of becoming a permanent minority party,” Elkind told NOTUS last month in an interview. “The only people we protect are our own incumbents.”
“I respect Congressman Nadler tremendously, but I also think there has to be a way for us to honor our leaders’ 50-year political careers and also encourage them to build bridges to the next generation,” Elkind said this summer before Nadler’s announcement.
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This story was produced as part of a partnership between NOTUS and The City.
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