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Sen. Barbara Mikulski to announce retirement after 30 years in office

By Andrew V. Pestano
Sen. Barbara Mikulski of Maryland is the longest-serving congresswoman in U.S. history. "The most exciting part about being a senator is knowing that I have helped make a difference in people’s lives," Mikulski said. File Photo by Nell Redmond/UPI
Sen. Barbara Mikulski of Maryland is the longest-serving congresswoman in U.S. history. "The most exciting part about being a senator is knowing that I have helped make a difference in people’s lives," Mikulski said. File Photo by Nell Redmond/UPI | License Photo

WASHINGTON, March 2 (UPI) -- Sen. Barbara Mikulski, D-Md., the longest-serving congresswoman in history, will announce her retirement after serving five consecutive terms -- 30 years in office.

Mikulski, 78, will not seek re-election in 2016, The Washington Post reported. She served on the Baltimore City Council for five years before she was first elected to Congress in 1986.

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She's known for her passion on certain issues, but also would reach across the aisle for partisan support. Recent polls have shown Mikulski to have a positive approval rating.

Mikulski was the first woman to chair the Appropriations Committee in 2012, a position she lost when Democrats lost control of the Senate.

"One of the things I am most proud of is strengthening the safety net for seniors by passing the Spousal Anti-Impoverishment Act," Mikulski states on her website. "This important legislation helps keep seniors from going bankrupt while paying for a spouse's nursing home care."

If Mikulski was not a senator, she said she would have wanted to be a scientist -- inspired by famous physicist and chemist Marie Curie.

"The most difficult thing about being a senator is considering whether or not to send American troops to war. That is not a responsibility that I take lightly," Mikulski said on her website. "While I continue to fight to provide our troops with the resources they need in the field, I am proud to have voted against sending our men and women in uniform into the war in Iraq."

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Her favorite meal is Maryland crab cakes, which she willingly distributes her mother's recipe to the public.

"When I'm not eating delicious crab cakes, I follow what I call a heart healthy diet, which isn't always easy," she said. "I like parsley, but I like pizza better!"

Mikulski's retirement comes as a surprise to some considering she was expected to win re-election in 2016. Maryland Democrat Rep. Chris Van Hollen, former aide on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, is speculated to run in Mikulski's stead.

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