Rep. Earl Blumenauer, an Oregon Democrat who has been in the House since 1996, won’t seek another term next year but plans to continue to fight for progressive causes “without the burden of day-to-day politics.”
Blumenauer, 75, told Willamette Week ahead of his official announcement Monday that he expects Democrats to win control of the House next year.
“I’m quite confident of that,” Blumenauer told the newspaper. “But it’s not certain to me that the things that I care about in terms of international water and sanitation, cannabis reform, flood insurance, climate change, transportation safety — I’m not certain that the best way to make a contribution to that is in Congress.”
