Hinchey Will Retire from Congress
Updated at 4:02 p.m.
Rep. Maurice Hinchey, D-N.Y., who recently completed treatment for colon cancer, will announce on Thursday he plans to retire at the end of this year after 10 terms in the House, according to his office.
An advisory put out by his office says Hinchey will formally make the announcement in Kingston, N.Y., at 1 p.m. Thursday.
The announcement said Hinchey has been declared cancer free by his doctors, but says his office would have no further comment.
The news is catching many by surprise, including his home county Ulster County Democratic Committee chairman Julian Schreibman, who said earlier today he believed Hinchey would run again. He said it would be unusual for Hinchey to announce he is leaving before New York state completes its redistricting process.
After learning later of Hinchey's decision, Schreibman said, "Obviously, he has health issues, and the truth is nobody has put in more time in terms of public service than he has." Hinchey had previously represented portions of the upper Hudson Valley in the New York state Legislature.
Schreibman also said there are no Democrats, as yet, lined up or who have even talked to him about running for the seat.
"And I can't imagine anyone being definitive on that yet," he said, pointing to redistricting that still leaves the shape up of the new district up in the air. As it stands, the district is an unusual blend of rural areas and some of up upstate New York's largest university of college communities. How the new district might turn out is a "black box" as New York official continue to draw new lines, said Schreibman.
At the same time, New York state is intending to move up its primary date this year, from what has been September to either June or August.
Schreibman said he expects maps of proposed new districts to be released later this month. But he said lawsuits also are likely to extend the process.
Across the Hudson River within Hinchey's district, Mike McCormick, chairman of the Dutchess County, N.Y. Republican Committee said he sees the congressman's retirement as opening up an opportunity for his party to grab an upstate Democratic House seat.
Agreeing that a newly shaped district's contours remain uncertain, McCormick said that despite that, "Congressman Hinchey has been a strong presence for the Democrats in that district for a lot of years." He said that Hinchey's 2010 GOP foe, George Phillips, had already said he was running again, and with Hinchey's announcement other Republicans will also likely now consider the race.
Hinchey, who serves on the Appropriations Committee and the Joint Economic Committee, was first elected in 1992.
Hinchey's 22nd District stretches south from Ithaca and then snakes along the Pennsylvania border to Sullivan and Ulster Counties in eastern New York, just a couple hours north of New York City. As the congressional steward of Lockheed Martin's operations in Owego, NY, he tried (unsuccessfully) to save funding for a new fleet of presidential helicopters from his seat on the defense subcommittee of the Appropriations Committee.
Hinchey's retirement was first reported by Politico.
He is the tenth House Democrat to retire outright this cycle without seeking higher office. Six House Republicans are retiring outright.
Scott Bland contributed
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