Massachusetts Dem Calls It Quits After Two Decades In Office

The following statement was released Wednesday by Rep. John Olver (D-Mass.):

“Since 1991, I have had the privilege and great honor of representing the people of the First District of Massachusetts in the U.S. House of Representatives. The district has grown much larger from the district as it was in 1991, and these twenty years have been tumultuous years for America. Last December, I announced that I intended to seek to continue my congressional service beyond 2012.  Over the past six months, circumstances within my family have substantially changed, and I now find I must reconsider my earlier decision. Therefore, I will retire from the House of Representatives at the conclusion of the current (112th) Congress.”

House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) called Olver a “tireless fighter for the people of Western Massachusetts since he was first elected to the House in 1991.”