Breaking news out of Massachusetts this morning. Barney Frank, the longest serving gay member of Congress, is not run for reelection.
Via Huffington Post:
Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) will not seek reelection in 2012, according to WBZ News Radio.We'll post more info. as we get it.
CNN has confirmed the news with the Democratic congressman's office.
UPDATE @ 10:40 AM ET from the Boston Globe:
US Representative Barney Frank, the state’s highest profile congressman and one of the nation’s leading liberal voices as one of its first openly gay elected officials, has decided not to seek reelection next year.
A close adviser told the Globe today that the new district in which Frank would have had to run next year was a major factor in his decision. While it retained his Newton stronghold, it was revised to encompass more conservative towns while Frank also lost New Bedford, a blue-collar city where had invested a lot of time and become a leading figure in the region’s fisheries debate.
The Newton Democrat scheduled a 1 p.m. press conference at Newton City Hall “to formally announce and answer questions about his decision not to run for re-election in 2012,” according to a statement.
