Democratic Party Leadership

Rep. Steny Hoyer, 86, announced on the House floor Jan. 8 that he will retire at the end of his term, delivering an emotional speech in which he thanked family and colleagues and warned that the chamber is veering toward “smallness, pettiness, divisiveness, lawlessness, and disdainfulness,” urging members of both parties to “examine their conscience.” The longest‑serving House Democrat — first elected in a 1981 special election and a two‑time House majority leader (2007–11, 2019–23) — Hoyer said he won’t make an early endorsement in the Democratic primary for his safe Maryland seat, and his exit adds to unusually high retirement levels ahead of the 2026 midterms.