The original content of Democracy Now! Headlines appears under the Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 3.0 License (United States). For more, including their other shows and media, visit www.democracynow.org. December 3, 2021 Rep. Peter DeFazio Becomes 19th House Democrat to Retire Ahead of Midterms -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Oregon Congressmember Peter De Fazio said Wednesday he will not seek reelection in 2022. De Fazio is currently chair of the House Transportation committee, serving his 18th term in Congress. He's the 19th House Democrat to announce their retirement ahead of midterm elections next year, in which Republicans are expected to benefit from gerrymandered congressional districts and sweeping new voter suppression laws.  Last month, California Democrat Jackie Speier announced she will not run for an 8th term in Congress. A survivor of the Jonestown massacre when she was a congressional aide in 1978, Speier more recently co-led a resolution to censure Republican Paul Gosar after he posted a violent animated video depicting himself murdering congressmember Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Gosar was censured over the video. .