Fla.’s Deutch Won’t Seek Reelection; 31st House Dem to Leave

U.S. Rep. Ted Deutch of Florida said Monday that he will not seek reelection in the fall, becoming the 31st House Democrat to announce plans to leave the chamber in a challenging midterm year for the party.

Deutch, who represents parts of Broward and Palm Beach counties, said in a statement that he has accepted an offer to serve as a CEO for the American Jewish Committee, a New York City-based nonprofit.

“It has been a tremendous privilege to serve the people of Palm Beach and Broward Counties in Congress since 2010,” he said.

The congressman, 55, said he will continue his work in Washington until Congress recesses for the next election.

Republicans are making a strong push to retake control of the House in this year’s midterms. So far, just 13 Republicans have said they’re not seeking reelection to the House.

The 31 Democratic House retirees is the most since the 1992 elections, when 41 of them stepped away.

Florida’s House and Senate are redrawing the state’s congressional maps, a once-a-decade redistricting process following the federal census. While each proposal makes changes to Deutch’s district because of population changes, the new district should remain safely Democratic.

Deutch serves as chair on the House Ethics Committee and the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Middle East, North Africa and Global Counterterrorism. He is also a senior member of the House Judiciary Committee.