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Subscribe to RSSAfter 40 years in Congress, Democratic Senator Tom Harkin of Iowa has announced he will not seek re-election in 2014. NBC's Kelly O'Donnell reports.
U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin said Saturday he will not seek a sixth term in 2014, a decision that frees a new generation of Iowa Democrats to seek higher office and eases some of the burden Republicans face in retaking the Senate.
Harkin, chairman of an influential Senate committee, announced his decision during an interview with The Associated Press, and said the move could surprise some.
But the 73-year-old cited his age — he would be 81 at the end of a sixth term — as a factor in the decision, saying it was time to pass the torch he has held for nearly 30 years.
"I just think it's time for me to step aside," Harkin told the AP.
Harkin, first elected in 1984, ranks 7th in seniority, and 4th among majority Democrats. He is chairman of the health, education, labor and pensions committee, and chairman of the largest appropriations subcommittee.
He has long aligned with the Senate's more liberal members, and his signature legislative accomplishment is the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act. He also served as a key salesman of President Barack Obama's 2010 health care bill to the wary left.
With the retirements of Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, and Sen. Saxby Chambliss, R-Georgia, the Senate becomes increasingly "fresh," says CNBC's John Harwood, and eager to shake things up.
"I'm not saying that giving this up and walking away is easy. It's very tough," Harkin said at his rural Iowa home south of Des Moines. "But I'm not quitting today. I'm not passing the torch sitting down."
Harkin's news defied outward signals. He has $2.7 million in his campaign war chest, second most among members nearing the end of their terms, and was planning a gala fundraiser in Washington, D.C., next month featuring pop star Lady Gaga.
The news creates a rare open Senate seat Iowa. Harkin, Iowa's junior senator, is outranked by Sen. Charles Grassley, who has held the state's other seat since 1980.
Attention will turn immediately to U.S. Rep. Bruce Braley, a fourth-term Democrat from Waterloo. Braley, who was traveling in Iowa Saturday, did not immediately respond to e-mail and telephone requests to his staff by the AP.
Harkin held open the possibility of endorsing a Democrat before the party's primary if the candidate fit the profile of "someone who is progressive, who is a pragmatic progressive."
Although no Republicans have stepped forward, Harkin's news gives the GOP's private huddles new life.
"There are lots of conversations, but it's very early still," said Nick Ryan, an Iowa Republican campaign fundraiser.
U.S. Rep. Tom Latham of Clive is a seasoned Republican congressman, a veteran appropriations committee member and a robust fundraiser who has survived challenges to win 10 consecutive terms. Aides to Latham declined to comment beyond issuing a statement saying the congressman "respects Sen. Harkin's decision (and) looks forward to continuing to work with him."
But with opening a door in Iowa, Harkin has created a potential headache for his party nationally.
Democrats likely would have had the edge in 2014 with the seat, considering Harkin's fundraising prowess and healthy approval. A poll by the Des Moines Register taken last fall showed a majority of Iowans approved of his job performance.
Democrats hold a 55-45 advantage in the Senate, requiring Republicans to gain six seats to win back the chamber. But Democrats have more seats to defend in 2014_20 compared to only 13 for Republicans.
And the president's party historically loses seats in the midterm elections after his re-election. Obama, a Democrat, was re-elected last year.
Democrats will be scrambling to hold onto the seat in GOP-leaning West Virginia, where five-term Democratic Sen. Jay Rockefeller recently announced he would not seek re-election. Republican Rep. Shelley Moore Capito is running for the Senate seat.
Democratic incumbents also face tough re-election races in Arkansas, Louisiana, Montana, North Carolina and Alaska — all states carried by Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney in November's presidential election.
Since the election, Harkin has stepped up his role as one of the Senate's leading liberal populists.
He was a vocal opponent late last year of President Barack Obama's concession to lift the income threshold for higher taxes to avoid the so-called fiscal cliff. Harkin instead supported raising taxes on all earners making more than $250,000 a year.
He also endorsed Obama's call for banning assault rifles and larger ammunition magazines in the wake of the Connecticut school shooting last month
Despite Harkin's strong political position, he has faced questions about his and his wife Ruth's role in developing a namesake policy institute at Iowa State University, Harkin's alma mater.
The Harkins and their supporters have been pushing for the institute to house papers highlighting his signature achievements, including the ADA and shaping farm policy as the former chairman of the agriculture committee.
In one long-running dispute, they've pressed ISU's president to rescind rules restricting the institute's ability to research agriculture, which Harkin derided as a violation of academic freedom. And Harkin has evaded questions about his role in fundraising for the institute after disclosure reports showed some of its largest donors are firms that have benefited from his policies.
Harkin dismissed that those questions had any bearing on his decision.
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Another one who earmarked and traded votes for spending and drove the country into deeper debt.
Good riddance.
Every Senater should have to retire before they reach there 75 birthday. They should not be able to serve over two terms in there lifetime. Then the fraud would slow way down and so would the pork.
AMEN!
Nice in theory, but in practice it would put us at the mercy of unelected bureaucrats.
Sen. Dick "Turbin" will make the same announcement soon!! He knows he is going to have his ass handed to him if he runs again!!! Better to retire than be embarrassed on election day!!!
Durbin wants more gun laws!!! How about enforceing the laws you have now Dick??? What's the body count in Chicago??? Dick packs a heater but does not want you to be able to protect yourself!!!
So long Dick!!!!!
What a Dick he is!
As much as I'd like to think so, I don't know about that. The Illinois Republican Party seems to have degenerated into a bad joke. The Democrats seem to overcome all their crooks and scandals, but the Republicans still haven't seem to have overcome George Ryan.
Marvelous!
Get rid of ALL the old politicians who have made careers off of our money, who actually don't give a damn about the American people.
Crooks, liars and thieves is what our congress is made up of. There is not an honest one among the bunch.
Typical democRAT coward! He faces a tough election challenge, so what does he do? Tucks tail, runs and hides.
When he was caught in a lie about his "service" in Vietnam, what does he do? Claims he misspoke or that someone else edited his senate web-page. He said he was a fighter pilot when, in reality, he was a shuttle pilot, taking broken planes over to Japan for major repairs. At least he didn't shoot himself like John Kerry did.
Good riddance! This lying, pompous ass won't be missed.
Typical democRAT coward! He faces a tough election challenge, so what does he do? Tucks tail, runs and hide
Typical comment from a brain dead teatard who doesn't have a clue what he's running his yap about. Harkin would have won like he always won in Iowa --- by a landslide And I case Fox didn't tell you this teatard -- Iowa voted for the Democratic presidential candidate in 5 of the last 6 elections.
at least he went to vietnam,not like the politician pussies of todays world,bunch of sissies.
I see the Democrats are still blaming Bush. What did Bush get from Bill Clinton. Clinton is the one that said every American deserves to own a house so he had the standard put at the all time low and what happen when Bush came into office Alan Greenspan raised rates by over 3 percent the first year. Lets not forget about the world trade bombing that Bush got from Clinton after he gutted the Military, CIA, FBI, NSA and just about anyway for us to gather info on terror groups. Remeber Bill Clinton in 1999 decontrolled wall street and look how that turned out. Bill Clinton put oil on the open market so everyone can trade in oil and now we have people controlling gas prices instead on supply and demand. So keep on blaming the repulicans after all they want people to actually work for there money instead of the government handouts boy that would be something new. What has Obama done income down to the lowest in the last 20 years. Record number of people on welfare and he want more. Lets not forget about the hurricans Sandy people you Democrats threw a fit when Bush was not helping Katrina after 24 hours and how long have the Sany victoms been wailting for the relief but we can still send money all over the world but not to U.S. citizens. I guess they just need to bite the bullet a little longer. Yep the dumbocrats are really helping the working people of this country.
Hey, the Sandy victims can't be helped by anyone who isn't a Union member, so it's going to take a while yet.
Patty-cake-316220: You said,"What did Bush get from Bill Clinton".
Answer: A budget surplus with more jobs available than could be filled.
Nuff said.
"I see the Democrats are still blaming Bush"
Whenever I hear that comment I chuckle at the very short memory you Republicans have. From 1976 to 1992 you whined and cried, moan and groaned and complained and complained more and bitched, carried on and on and blamed President Carter of everything wrong in the entire universe. Then from 1992 to 2008 you whined and cried, moan and groaned and complained and complained more and bitched, carried on and on and blamed President Clinton for everything that was wrong in the entire universe. So – using the standard you set – the left has another 29 years to blame Bush for everything just to pull even with you.
What did Bush get from Bill Clinton.
What did Obama get from Bush?
The reality is no president since Kennedy had the keys to the White House turned over to him from the former president with the nation in BETTER shape than did George W. Bush and no president since FDR had the keys to the White House turned over to him from the former president with the nation in WORSE than did President Obama. It will likely take this nation a generation or longer completely to dig ourselves out of the economic disaster caused by George W. Bush and his Republican controlled Congress.
You and Holehead Harkin certainly know about nonsense.You've both been spouting it for years.Glad to see this Statist,Fetaphobic bigot get his overpaid ass out of the Senate.
Good. The rest of them should follow. They are not worth the salt.
Now all we have to do is get rid of Dingle who has been hanging on forever.
I doubt if he's any original ideas for the last 10 years but he just wants to be the longest serving member ever.
It's about time he steps aside and give the rains to a younger more aggressive person who has 21st century ideas.
He has served his country well and it's time to leave!!!!!
He stopped serving his country well 20 - 25 years ago. Since then he's been serving himself well, and the people have let him.
Harkin leaving presents a headache for Democrats. Sorry but Democrats have created an headache for themselves. Just like the GOP we have division within the party, Democrats and Conservative Democrats. Those so-called moderate Democrats have made it harder to enact legislation on many occasions. Just wait until the Gun Safety debate Tester and Manchin with other Gun Manufacture Democrats will vote with the Republicans.
Try again with the "Conservative Democrats". That's an extinct species, as far as the U.S. Senate is concerned, at least, and has been for some time. There are a few somewhat centrist Democrats, such as the two whom you just cited, but conservative Democrats can no longer win Democratic primaries, just as for the most part liberal Republicans can no longer win Republican primaries, especially those conducted statewide.
nothing will every get done as long as you people keep voting people in to office for 30 years make a change if things dont get done then vote there ass out
Take Orrin Snatch from Utah with you please!!!
Good Bye Senator. Your legacy is that America is bankrupt. I heard you a few months ago comment that the country should start pension plans for citizens. My children' children will be poor because of you. After you pass in this life, children in the US will grow up in a 3rd World country thanks to leaders like you, both Democrats and Republicans. You're mostly a fault after having served so long, but the public shares the fault as well. You road the tidal wave of unfunded entitlement programs to many re-elections. You believe in the great American denial that debt doesn't matter.
Getting out before the revolution and the head rolling. Bye, see ya!
Keep up the work on bad mouthing FOX news,soon the rating will incease again.The left belittles FOX news and watches Amercan Idol.
"Keep up the work on bad mouthing FOX news,soon the rating will incease again."
No -- the numbers for Fox Propaganda have been flat for 3 years.
He's been there too long already. Two terms in the Senate and four in the house is more then enough.
Time for term limits.
It's funny how you demoncrats can bash and name call against republicans, but if it's against anyone in your party you can't take what you dish out--it's better to keep your mouth shut and be thought a fool as to open it and remove all doubt!!!
Thank you for that fine example.
It's funny how you REPUBLICANS can bash and name call against DEMOCRATS, but if it's against anyone in your party you can't take what you dish out--it's better to keep your mouth shut and be thought a fool as to open it and remove all doubt!!!
"But the 73-year-old cited his age — he would be 81 at the end of a sixth term — as a factor in the decision, ?saying it was time to pass the torch he has held for nearly 30 years."
Yeah, time to spend some of that $ you've scarfed up the last 30 years off the government and all the perks that go along with it. You better get moving, at 73 you don't have any time to waste. We need a good conservative to replace your liberal ass.
Yep... that's what we need. More Tea-buggery. Government induced vaginal ultra-sounds for all women!!! Boo-hoo-bitch, please.
It breaks my heart because you are the best Senator the State of Iowa has ever had; but you've done your duty to your country and deserve to enjoy the years you have left with the love of your life. We only met once, but I always felt I could call you a friend of mine... and damned proud to do so.
Good wishes for you and your family.
You will be sorely missed.
Did not see a link to this story:
The U.S. Appeals Court for the District of Columbia handed down a major decision today, one that shifts the modern balance of power between the president and Congress-and hands a stinging political defeat to President Obama and his allies in Big Labor.
The battleground: The National Labor Relations Board-the powerful independent agency that's overseen the contentious relations between Big Business and Big Labor in America since 1933. The NLRB has long been a partisan political battleground-Democratic presidents usually try to pack the board with union allies, Republican presidents usually make business-friendly appointments.
The issue: Are President Obama's three appointments to the NLRB legal? Did he have the constitutional authority to make those appointments in the manner he did-or hid he exceed his power as president?
The court's answer: Obama acted unconstitutionally.
The background: Last January, after years of political combat over the NLRB and facing fierce Republican resistance to his agenda, President Obama made three appointments to the NLRB. Under the law, presidential appointments to the board must be confirmed by the Senate. But this time, Obama tried an end-run around Congress: a "recess appointment."
...Isn't this moron the reason why every store has to have 118 handicapped spots instead of just one or two?? ...What's the most amount of spots anyone here has ever seen taken (by handicapped drivers)?
Harkin and Rockefeller both retiring. THANK GOODNESS. I hope both rot in hell for their thievery!
In San Francisco, there are 25,000 handicapped stickers and about 2,200 handicapped people. What a joke, right liberals?????
Lots of comments from libs that McCain should also resign. How soon they forget that a guy named Kennedy refused to resign after he was also in office for a long period of time.
Oh, a minor detail, he killed a young girl named Mary Jo......