SAN DIEGO _ Rep. Susan Davis, a 10-term Democratic congresswoman representing San Diego, announced Wednesday that she is dropping out of the race for reelection in 2020 and will retire from Congress at the end of her term.
Davis, 75, first elected to Congress in 2000, announced her retirement from the solidly Democratic 53rd District seat in a news release Wednesday. Candidates to replace her will face off in the primary election March 3.
"I have struggled to make this very difficult decision," Davis said in the announcement. "I will not seek another term in Congress. My decision today represents a desire to live and work 'at home' in San Diego."
In a personal letter to constituents, Davis said she did not know what she would do next, but there are many ways she could continue to serve her community.
Davis is dean of San Diego's congressional delegation and its second woman to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives, according to the news release.
She is one of at least three Democrats who have announced their retirement, according to a report published Wednesday in The Hill.
The congresswoman said she would finish her 10th term in Congress with vigor and she hoped her successor in office would put the public interest above self-interest.
The 53rd District stretches from Interstate 5 and Balboa Park on the west, continues through Mission Valley to East County and continues south to Chula Vista, according to her official U.S. House of Representatives website.
Davis serves on the House Education and Labor Committee, the House Armed Services Committee and the House Committee on Administration.
During her tenure in Congress, Davis' office won the highly competitive "Best in Congress" awards from the Congressional Management Foundation for both Constituent Service and Workplace Environment, according to her news release.
She also contributed to and supported the Affordable Care Act, initiated the first hearing on "don't ask, don't tell" and helped bring to San Diego large projects including the San Diego State University Transit Center and the James M. Carter and Judith N. Keep United States Courthouse, the release said.
Democrats running for the 53rd District seat in 2020 include Jose Caballero, a political consultant who is on the progressive wing of the local Democratic Party, and Navy veteran Joaquin Vazquez. Davis' retirement might also draw bigger names into the race.
