Rep. Sam Farr announces retirement

Rep. Sam Farr (D-Calif.) announced Thursday that he won’t seek reelection next year after serving 22 years in the House.

At a press conference in Salinas, Calif., Farr cited a desire to spend more time with his family.

“What really struck in the last year is that next July 4, I’ll be 75 years old. And I was just thinking about, what do you do with the rest of your life?” Farr said, recalling how his wife urged him to “come home.”

{mosads}”I woke up and realized they are right,” he said.

Farr was first elected in a 1993 special election to succeed Leon Panetta, who had resigned to become director of the Office of Management and Budget in the Clinton administration. 

He has since become a senior appropriator and currently serves as the ranking Democrat on the House Appropriations subcommittee overseeing the Department of Agriculture.

The Monterey-area district is expected to remain in the Democratic column following Farr’s retirement.

Farr is the 12th House member to announce retirement so far this cycle.