Rep. McCarthy Announces Plan To Retire From Congress At End Of Term

[Omaha Steve]

Source: (CBSNewYork/AP)

MINEOLA, N.Y. (CBSNewYork/AP) – Long Island Rep. Carolyn McCarthy announced Wednesday she will not seek a 10th term in office when her current term expires later this year.

McCarthy, a lifelong resident of Mineola, was first elected to Congress in 1996. She has been a staunch gun control advocate since her husband was killed and her son was seriously wounded in the Dec. 7, 1993 Long Island Rail Road massacre.

“I am forever grateful to my constituents for giving me the privilege of representing them in Congress for the past 18 years. As I plan for the next chapter of my life, I look forward to resuming my role as a citizen activist for the causes and principles that are so close to my heart,” Rep. McCarthy said in a statement. “As a nation, more needs to be done to keep our citizens safe, while simultaneously protecting our Constitutional rights. Incidents involving gun violence over the last two years serve as yet another reminder that although modest progress has been made over the years, there is much more work to do.”

McCarthy has introduced gun control legislation throughout her career, including in the aftermath of the Tucson, Ariz. shooting rampage that left fellow Rep. Gabrielle Giffords seriously injured. Wednesday marks the third anniversary of the Tucson mass shooting incident.

FULL story at link.


Read more: http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2014/01/08/rep-mccarthy-announces-plan-to-retire-from-congress-at-end-of-term/

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Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (credit: carolynmccarthy.house.gov)

[alcibiades_mystery]

1. One of our best

Unfortunately, gunner shitheads will now shit all over this with their usual stupidities.

[Paladin]

2. God bless Rep. McCarthy.

Bring it on, Gun Enthusiasts. The lady far outclasses you.

[alp227]

3. Oh, not the Republican Kevin McCarthy? Bummer. nt

[Le Taz Hot]

4. So, New Yorkers,

what does this Congressional District look like? What are the chances of getting another Dem in there?

[closeupready]

6. She represents a big part of Queens, I think -

Long Island City and Astoria? Safely blue.

[DeeDeeNY]

7. A solid Republican district before she got in

The last time it had a Democratic rep before McCarthy was during the Truman administration!

[Jim Lane]

8. District leans Democratic, Cook PVI of D+3

I don't agree with either of the other responses.

The district might include a little bit of NYC -- I can't tell for sure from the map -- but certainly not Astoria or Long Island City. It's not safely blue although it definitely leans our way.

OTOH, previous Republican representation doesn't mean much, given that (a) McCarthy's been in office for 18 years, during which Nassau County has gone from being solidly Republican to being much more competitive (the current county legislature has 10 R, 9 D); and (b) the district lines have been drastically redrawn anyway.

The best quick gauge of its political orientation is the Cook Partisan Voting Index, which looks at the two most recent Presidential elections and compares votes in a subject district (or state) to those in the nation as a whole. This district has a PVI of D+3, meaning that, in Obama's two campaigns, he averaged three percentage points better here than he did nationwide.

[ReRe]

5. Sorry to see her go...

... she always stood up and spoke the truth in the face of the NRA controlled Congress.

[CBHagman]

9. I am so sorry to see her go.

She's a nurse, like Lois Capps (D-CA), another Democratic woman rep who got into Congress following the death of her husband, though of course under different circumstances.