Rep. Ed Perlmutter announced on Monday that he will not seek reelection, joining the ranks of retiring House Democrat ahead of an election cycle projected to favor Republicans.
The Colorado lawmaker, 68, said in a statement, “There comes a time when you pass the torch to the next generation of leaders.”
“I’m deeply gratified that our bench in the 7th District is deep and fortunately we have a strong group of leaders who are ready and able to take up that torch,” Perlmutter said.
Perlmutter, previously a member of the Colorado state Senate, was first elected to Congress in 2006. He likely would have been reelected, as Colorado’s redistricting process left his district a safe Democratic seat.
Perlmutter will be the 18th Democrat to retire at the end of his term this year, while several others will leave to seek another office. By contrast, four Republicans will retire at the end of their terms, while former Rep. Devin Nunes has already done so in order to run a social media company for former President Donald Trump.
Although lawmakers in both parties will leave the House at the end of the year, either to retire or seek another office, Democrats are doing so in larger numbers. Some have argued these retirements present an additional obstacle to the party’s efforts to maintain control of the chamber after this year’s elections.
Republicans have characterized the growing number of Democratic departures as a sign they are on track to win a majority in November. They would need to net about five seats to reclaim the majority they lost in 2018.
