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WASHINGTON -- Veteran Democratic Rep. Darlene Hooley said Thursday she will not run for re-election.
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Oregon Congresswoman Darlene Hooley.
Hooley, in her sixth term, is known for her work on identity theft protection, consumer product safety and support for the Oregon National Guard. She said she has decided to pursue other professional opportunities.
"I have done this long enough," Hooley said in an interview. "You come to a point in your life when there are some other things you want to do. It's time to leave."
Hooley said representing Oregon's 5th Congressional District for the past 12 years "has been my greatest honor and privilege," but said she had grown weary of the constant demands to raise money.
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"Frankly, probably the thing that put me over the top is knowing once again I will probably spend a lot of time raising money," she said. "It's not that people haven't been wonderful and generous. It isn't how I want to spend my time. I think it's a system that needs to change."
Hooley, 68, has had health problems in recent years. She was hospitalized in December with excess fluid in her lungs and underwent knee replacement surgery in late 2002. But she said Thursday that health was not a factor in her decision.
"I've never felt better," she said, adding her doctor gave her "a totally clean bill of health."
Hooley's retirement caught most observers off-guard. She was considered likely to win a seventh term representing the Salem-based district.
Meredith Wood Smith, chairwoman of the Oregon Democratic Party, called Hooley's service to the party and the country "absolutely wonderful" and said she has "huge appreciation for Darlene."
Smith and other Democrats said the party will find a strong replacement to fight off what is expected to be an energetic effort by Republicans to fill Hooley's seat in what is considered a swing district.
Republican businessman Mike Erickson of Lake Oswego, who spent more than $1 million of his own money opposing Hooley in 2006, has been considering another run.
Former state GOP chairman Kevin Mannix, a former state representative and two-time gubernatorial candidate, is considered a possible candidate, as are state Reps. Scott Bruun, R-West Linn, and Brian Boquist, R-Dallas, who ran unsuccessfully against Hooley in 2002.
Potential Democratic candidates for Hooley's seat include Paul Evans, a military policy adviser to Gov. Ted Kulongoski whose wife Joan is Hooley's chief of staff, and a husband-and-wife pair, Clackamas County Commissioner Martha Schrader and her husband, state Sen. Kurt Schrader, D-Canby.
Rep. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, said Hooley has been a powerful voice for Oregon's families, troops and veterans for more than a decade.
"Her work to protect identity theft victims, curb the problem with methamphetamines and to ensure our troops and veterans receive benefits that are worthy of their sacrifice is a proud legacy," Van Hollen said.
He added that Democrats will miss her leadership, but "we are confident that a Democrat will win this seat and continue to work to change the direction of the country."
The 5th District, which encompasses some of Portland's wealthiest suburbs and coastal areas, as well as Salem and surrounding rural farmland, is nearly evenly split between Democrats and Republicans. Republicans have a slight registration edge, with 145,686 to 140,631 Democrats, according to the latest count by the Oregon Secretary of State's office.
With the registration edge, Republicans have long been frustrated at being unable to knock off the popular Hooley, who is well known in her district for constituent services.
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:cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry:
She is in the district next to mine, a great Rep.......
:hi:
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