Kathleen Rice Bows Out of 2022 Contest

WASHINGTON — Rep. Kathleen Rice, D-N.Y., said Tuesday she will not seek reelection in 2022, becoming the 30th House Democrat and 43rd member overall to announce a departure from Congress this year.

“As I turn to the next chapter of my own personal and professional story, I do so with profound thanks to the community leaders, colleagues and staff who have lived our shared commitment to service with courage and humility,” Rice said in a Twitter post.

“I entered public service 30 years ago and never left,” she continued. “It has been the honor of my life to serve as a  prosecutor, district attorney, and U.S. representative in my beloved home state of New York. I have always believed that holding political office is neither destiny nor a right. As elected officials, we must give all we have and then know when it is time to allow others to serve.”

Rice, who has represented New York’s 4th Congressional District since 2015, revealed her intentions on her 57th birthday.

The former prosecutor and Nassau County district attorney, also said she would continue to focus on “protecting our democracy and serving my constituents” for the remainder of her term.

Though most are expecting bruising electoral contests across the country as Republicans seek to regain control of the House of Representatives, Rice’s district has been in Democratic hands since 1997, when Rep. Carolyn McCarthy, D-N.Y., defeated freshman Republican Rep. Dan Frisa by a large margin.

Rice, a former Republican who switched parties in 2005, continued the Democrat’s winning ways in 2014, after McCarthy announced her retirement.

In 2020, Rice was reelected with more than 56% of the vote against Republican Douglas Truman, and President Joe Biden defeated then-incumbent President Donald Trump in the district by 12 percentage points.

Unlike many Democrats who bowed out of a 2022 campaign, Rice was relatively unscathed by New York State’s redistricting process, her district being relatively unchanged.

Though a few Republican villages were added to her district, including East Williston, Williston Park, Lake Success and Mineola, voters in those areas were well-acquainted with her from the nine years she served as Nassau County district attorney.

Dan can be reached at [email protected] and at https://twitter.com/DanMcCue.