Democratic Arizona Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick says she won’t seek reelection

Arizona Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick (D) on Friday said that she will not seek a sixth term in office, saying she wanted to term-limit herself and spend more time with family.

“I’ve been in public service for 18 years and I’ve always been a proponent of term limits and … I’m sort of term-limiting myself,” Kirkpatrick told the Arizona Republic.

“It’s time to pass along the torch, the baton, and let somebody else take over,” she continued. “Plus, quite honestly, there’s a personal interest. I have three grandsons. … We would just like to be available to them, spend more time with them.”

The congresswoman told the publication that her retirement was not at all related to her health and recovery from alcohol dependency. She took six weeks off last year to treat “alcohol dependence” after a serious fall.

Kirkpatrick’s retirement creates an open seat for Republicans to target in next year’s midterm elections. The seat was previously held by Martha McSally, who left it open to run for the Senate in 2018.

Democrats already hold a narrow 222-211 majority in the House and, historically, a first-term president’s party tends to lose seats in the midterm elections. 

Kirkpatrick won her reelection bid against Republican Brandon Martin by roughly 11 points. 

The congresswoman has served in the House since 2009, representing Arizona’s 2nd Congressional District since 2019 and the 1st Congressional District before that.

Kirkpatrick launched a Senate bid in 2016 but was defeated by longtime incumbent Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.).