PETALUMA, Calif., June 28 (UPI) -- Democratic U.S. Rep. Lynn Woolsey announced she will retire this year after 10 terms of representing California's 6th Congressional District.
Saying it was time for her to move on, Woolsey said in her announcement Monday she never compromised her principles during her political career marked by progressive stands, particularly on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the San Francisco Chronicle reported Tuesday.
"We haven't won every battle over the years, but we have fought valiantly -- always holding fast to our principles, never compromising our values," Woolsey said at her home in Petaluma. "But I will turn 75 years old just before the next Election Day. It will be time for me to move on."
In October 2002, she was one of 133 House members who opposed granting former President George W. Bush the authority to use force against Iraq. In 2006, Woolsey gave antiwar activist Cindy Sheehan a ticket to Bush's State of the Union speech. Police removed Sheehan for wearing a T-shirt that read: "2,245 dead. How many more?"
Potential successors have started organizing, including state Assemblyman Jared Huffman, who said he has raised more than $200,000 for a campaign, and activist Norman Solomon, who said he has about $100,000, the Chronicle said.
The district likely will be reshaped through redistricting, but probably will remain Democratic, said Eric McGhee, who analyzes redistricting for the Public Policy Institute of California.
