Rhode Island Rep. Jim Langevin does not plan to run for reelection to the seat he has held for more than two decades, he said Tuesday, scrambling the state’s political landscape just weeks into an election year.
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Calling his political career “the privilege of a lifetime,” the fifty-seven year-old Langevin announced his decision in a YouTube video and a guest column in the Providence Journal.
A Democrat, Langevin represents the 2nd Congressional District, which covers the western portion of Rhode Island. He previously served as Rhode Island secretary of state and in the state house.
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“The story of Jim Langevin will forever be remembered as one of perseverance and a dedication to public service,” Rep. David Cicilline, the state’s other member of Congress, said in a statement. “It is one that will inspire our colleagues in government today and the future leaders of our state and nation for generations to come.”
Langevin suffered an accident as a teenager that left him paralyzed. He was the first quadrapalegic elected to Congress.
“I’ll always cherish the moment that I became the first Congressman in a wheelchair to preside over the House of Representatives as Speaker Pro Tempore, as we marked the 20th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act,” he wrote in his op-ed.
Langevin’s announcement means Rhode Island will see a contest for an open congressional seat for this time since Rep. Patrick Kennedy retired in 2010, alongside what are sure to be heated campaigns for governor and the other state Constitutional offices.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
