Democratic Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick Announces She Won't Seek Another Term

Representative Ann Kirkpatrick has announced she will not seek another term in Congress. The Democrat currently represents Arizona's second congressional district and previously represented the first district.

Kirkpatrick was expected to formally rule out participating in the 2022 midterm elections on Friday and she confirmed her decision on Twitter, sharing a lengthy statement.

"Every two years for the past 18 years, there has been an election in Arizona with my name on the ballot," Kirkpatrick said. "Serving Arizonans has been my absolute honor and joy, but after much consideration, I have decided not to seek re-election in 2022."

"I will continue the good fight through this Congress, and when the term is up, I will hand over the baton," she said.

Kirkpatrick, who was first elected to Congress in 2008 after serving in the Arizona House of Representatives, touted her achievements.

"When they said that certain congressional districts could not be won, I tried anyway and won," Kirkpatrick said in the statement.

"In Congress, my office was instrumental in helping pass the Affordable Care Act and the Indian Veterans Housing Opportunity Act. We guaranteed important water rights for Native American tribes in Arizona and helped our veterans in rural areas get better health care."

"Over the years, I have evolved on some issues, which I believe is key to being a good leader," Kirkpatrick went on. "I have sought and continue to seek ways to work across party lines when possible, but I also stand my ground on values that should never be compromised."

"Arizona is home. And representing my home state has been the highest honor," she said.

Kirkpatrick also offered praise for her team and all those who have supported her and said she looked forward to seeing how Arizona would be represented in the future.

"I've been in public service for 18 years and I've always been a proponent of term limits," Kirkpatrick told The Arizona Republic about her decision. "I'm sort of term-limiting myself."

"It's time to pass along the torch, the baton, and let somebody else take over. 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," she said.

The 70-year-old Democrat has won five terms in the House but her political fortunes have been mixed. Elected to represent Arizona's 1st district in 2008, she was defeated for reelection in 2012 before winning two more terms.

She ran against the late Senator John McCain (R-AZ) in 2016 but was defeated. She was then elected to represent the state's 2nd congressional district in 2018 and reelected in 2020.

Kirkpatrick won November's election with 55.1 percent of the vote against her Republican opponent's 44.9 percent.