Florida Democrat Frederica Wilson to retire from the House |
Florida Democrat Frederica Wilson to retire from the House
Rep. Frederica Wilson (D-Fla.), a 16-year veteran of Congress, announced Friday that she will not seek reelection, becoming the 30th House Democrat from the 119th Congress who won’t be joining the 120th.
Appearing at an honorary event in her South Florida district, where local officials are honoring her long service to the community by naming a street after her, Wilson, 83, said she has a lot of fight left but that it’s simply time to pass the torch.
“This has been a journey, but it’s time, it’s time,” Wilson said. “Even leather wears out.”
Wilson emphasized that while she might be leaving Congress, she has no plans to leave public service. Instead, she said she intends to tour the country to promote a program she founded decades ago, the 5,000 Role Models for Excellence, which seeks to empower minority students.
Wilson had initially dismissed suggestions that this term would be her last. But she had recently missed weeks worth of votes in the Capitol while she........