Democrat Ed Pastor of Arizona to retire from Congress

By Catalina Camia 37 minutes ago

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Rep. Ed Pastor, left, with Housing Secretary Shaun Donovan. (Charlie Leight, The Arizona Republic)

Our Gannett colleague Rebekah Sanders from The Arizona Republic reports that Rep. Ed Pastor, D-Ariz., will retire from Congress. Here’s her dispatch from Phoenix:

U.S. Rep. Ed Pastor, D-Ariz., the first Hispanic from Arizona elected to Congress and the senior member of the state’s delegation, announced Thursday he will retire completing 23 years in Washington. He served as a Maricopa County supervisor from 1976 to 1991.

“I’ve been in public office for 39 years and it’s been a pleasure to serve the people of Arizona,” Pastor said in a written statement. “After 23 years in Congress, I feel it’s time for me to seek out a new endeavor. It’s been a great honor, a great experience and a great joy for me to serve in Congress. I think it’s time for me to do something else.”

Pastor is the 21st House member — 10 Democrats, 11 Republicans — to announce his retirement, according to a list compiled by Roll Call.

http://onpolitics.usatoday.com/2014/...zona-democrat/