Rep. Jerry Nadler, the longest-serving member of New York’s congressional delegation and a fixture of Democratic politics for more than three decades, is stepping down—and he says that it’s time for a new generation to lead.
The 78-year-old told The New York Times on Monday that he will not seek reelection in 2026, citing growing calls within the party for new leadership.
A younger person “can maybe do better, can maybe help us more,” he told the Times.
“This decision has not been easy. But I know in my heart it is the right one and that it is the right time to pass the torch to a new generation,” he added in a statement Tuesday.

The decision lands at a moment of transition for the Democratic Party, which has struggled to balance respect for veteran lawmakers who’ve defined its modern era with pressure from activists and younger voters to elevate a new slate of leaders.
In his interview with the Times, Nadler pointed directly to President Joe Biden’s withdrawal from the 2024 race as evidence that the “necessity for generational change in the party” could no longer be ignored.
“I’m not saying we should change over the entire party, but I think a certain amount of change is very helpful, especially when we face the challenge of Trump and his incipient fascism,” he said.
Tributes from Democratic leaders quickly followed. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul called him “a champion, a fighter, and a trusted voice for New Yorkers,” while House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries described him as “a relentless fighter for justice, civil rights, and liberties and the fundamental promise of equality for all.”
New York City Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani also commended Nadler, one of his earliest endorsers.
“Jerry stood alongside gay and trans Americans when it was politically unpopular, voted with courage—not calculus—against the Iraq War and the Patriot Act, stood steadfast alongside the first responders and families sickened after 9/11, and led efforts to hold a lawless Trump administration accountable,” he said in a statement.
Nadler’s retirement reshapes the political landscape in New York’s 12th Congressional District, a deep-blue Manhattan seat that spans the Upper West Side, Upper East Side, and Midtown.
Though safely Democratic, the district now faces one of the most competitive primaries in the country. Nadler had already drawn a challenge from Liam Elkind, a 26-year-old activist who asked him earlier this year to “respectfully” step aside.

On Monday, Elkind welcomed the news of Nadler’s retirement with praise.
“He has led this district and this country with humanity, kindness, and intelligence. We are better for his leadership,” he wrote on X.
Other potential contenders are already being floated. Assemblymember Micah Lasher, a longtime Nadler aide now serving in Albany, is expected to weigh a bid, while progressive groups are eyeing the open seat as an opportunity to push a new generation of leadership. Whoever emerges as the Democratic nominee will almost certainly head to Congress: Nadler won reelection in 2022 with more than 80% of the vote.
Nadler’s congressional career began in 1992, when he won his seat in a special election after serving in the New York State Assembly. Over the years, he became one of the House’s most recognizable progressives and a staunch defender of abortion rights and judicial oversight. As chair of the House Judiciary Committee, he presided over President Donald Trump’s first impeachment in 2019.
More recently, he championed the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act in 2022, which prohibits employment practices that discriminate against employees seeking accommodations due to pregnancy, childbirth, or other medical reasons.
Nadler is also the longest-serving Jewish member of Congress and a central figure in Manhattan politics. But like many of his longtime colleagues, Nadler faced mounting questions about how long the party could lean on its older leadership.
Last year, he was ousted as the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee and replaced with a younger colleague. His exit now adds to a growing list of Democratic lawmakers stepping down, including Reps. Jan Schakowsky and Danny Davis of Illinois and Dwight Evans of Pennsylvania, as well as Sens. Gary Peters of Michigan, Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, and Tina Smith of Minnesota.
Nadler’s departure doesn't just set the stage for a high-stakes New York primary, but it also raises an important question: Is the Democratic Party ready to let a new generation lead?