Longtime Democratic Leader Steny Hoyer to Retire After 23 Terms

Representative Steny H. Hoyer of Maryland, the longest-serving House Democrat, will not seek re-election and plans to retire when his term ends in early 2027, according to a person familiar with his plans. Mr. Hoyer, 86, is expected to announce his plans in a speech on the House floor on Thursday morning, and his retirement after 23 terms was reported earlier by The Washington Post.

For decades Mr. Hoyer was one of his party’s top leaders, a onetime political rival to Nancy Pelosi who ultimately became her second-in-command. He stepped down from House leadership in 2022 to make way for a new generation, telling The New York Times that year, “I think Nancy is the best speaker we’ve had, so I was the No.

2,” and adding, “But I was the No. 2 to someone who people think is, in history, one of the five top speakers who we’ve had. What am I going to offer?” His long legislative record includes leading the charge to enact the Americans with Disabilities Act and writing the Help America Vote Act, which became law in 2002.

In recent years Mr. Hoyer was often described as a moderate and, at times, a throwback to a less polarized era on Capitol Hill, maintaining relationships with some Republican colleagues including former Speaker Kevin McCarthy and former Senator Roy Blunt.

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