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Rep. Michael McNulty (D-N.Y.) on Monday became the first Democrat this cycle to officially announce his retirement from Congress. “I am pleased to announce that when my 10th term in the United States House of Representatives expires in January of 2009, I am coming home to the people and the community I love so much,” McNulty said at a press conference in Albany. “Words could not adequately express the gratitude I feel today. Surely, I am one of the luckiest people on the face of the earth.” McNulty, who was paralyzed by polio when he was 2, said that his health was not a main reason for the decision but added that it was a factor. The lawmaker noted that Post Polio Syndrome affects his stamina. He added that his “condition has not yet affected my ability to do this job, but I know that someday it could. “I have too much respect and reverence for this job — and the people who gave it to me — to wait for that to happen,” McNulty said. Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.) announced in 2005 that he would retire after this term, but he changed his mind earlier this year. Reps. Mark Udall (D-Colo.) and Tom Allen (D-Maine) are both vacating their House seats but are pursuing Senate seats. About a dozen Republicans have announced plans to retire, the latest being Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-Colo.) late Sunday. |
