Longest-Serving House Democrat to Retire After Decades in Power

U.S. Representative Steny Hoyer of Maryland will announce his retirement on Thursday, according to reports. He will leave Congress at the end of his current term. Hoyer is the longest-serving Democrat in the House of Representatives. First elected in 1981, he has spent over four decades in Congress. He once competed for the position of House Speaker, the top role in the chamber. For many years, he also served as the Majority Leader, a powerful leadership post just below the Speaker. His planned departure marks the end of an era for the Democratic Party in Congress.