By Steve Klamkin WPRO News
Rhode Island Congressman Jim Langevin says his eleventh term will be his last, announcing on Tuesday that he will not run for re-election in the fall, and will not be on the ballot for any office in 2022.
“There’s still a lot of work to do, I’ll be here for another year, but it’s time,” the Second District Democrat told WPRO’s Matt Allen in a telephone interview Tuesday afternoon.
“This job is all-consuming and I’ve been burning the candle at both ends for many years now. I’m hoping to do something that will keep me closer to home and have a better work-life balance,” said Langevin, a Warwick native who was paralyzed at age 16 when struck by a stray bullet in the police headquarters while a police cadet, hoping to pursue a career as a police officer.
Langevin has been confined to a wheelchair, becoming the first quadriplegic elected to Congress. After serving as a delegate to the state’s Constitutional Convention in 1986, he ran for and won election to the Rhode Island House in 1988, to Rhode Island Secretary of State in 1994 and to Congress in 2000.
He hasn’t ruled out running for office in the future, and floated names including Lt. Gov. Sabina Matos, Secretary of State Nellie Gorbea and House Speaker Joseph Shekarchi as potential candidates. Gorbea and Shekarchi issued statements praising Langevin and his service, while downplaying suggestions that they might run for his Congressional seat.
Gorbea has already declared her intention to run for the Democratic nomination for governor.
Shekarchi issued a statement, saying in part, “Today is a day to recognize his (Langevin’s) personal achievements and accomplishments, not for future political speculation.”
Langevin said he looked at a possible run for governor, but ruled that out, adding, “I couldn’t do the job justice in terms of serving in Congress and running for governor at the same time, and decided not run run for governor, and that position has not changed.”
On air, and in an opinion essay published in the Providence Journal, Langevin recounted his work over two decades, championing the nation’s cyber security protections. He said he was most proud of voting for President Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act, which extended health care coverage for millions of uninsured people.
The one announced Republican candidate for the second district seat, former State Representative Robert Lancia said he believes his intent to run may have been a factor in Langevin’s decision not to seek reelection.
“We were ready to go, and I believe that may have factored into his decision because it was going to be a lot of hard work in this campaign,” Lancia told WPRO.
