Barney Frank says he will run in 2012

WASHINGTON, Feb. 3 (UPI) -- U.S. Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., announced Thursday he intends to seek re-election in 2012, largely to protect gains made in the last Congress.

Frank said he may have made a different decision if Democrats had held onto their House majority in last year's mid-term elections.

"Some very important programs are at risk," he said.

Frank said a high priority is "to reduce significantly America's swollen, unnecessary, worldwide military footprint ... . Failure to address excessive military spending will either add to the deficit or force cuts in education, police, fire, transportation, scientific research, food safety and infrastructure investment."

By not stepping down, Frank, who has held his position for more than 20 years, is putting pressure on his state's legislators who are charged with re-districting Massachusetts' 10 congressional districts, The Boston Globe reported .

If none of the other nine U.S. House members retire, two will have to run against each other in the next election due to the state's having lost a congressional seat because of population decline, the Globe said.