Representative David R. Obey of Wisconsin, the third-most senior member of the House and chairman of the Appropriations Committee, announced Wednesday that he was retiring after four decades in Congress, a decision that reflected both a generational shift and the difficult political environment for Democrats.
“I’m ready to turn the page,” said Mr. Obey, 71. He told lawmakers and reporters crammed into the committee room where he has held sway for so long that he was “bone tired,” before adding, “And frankly, I think that my district is ready for somebody new, to make a fresh start.”
Mr. Obey, an occasionally cantankerous figure and die-hard liberal who spearheaded last year’s economic stimulus legislation, was facing a competitive election in his sprawling district, with Republicans trying to show they could threaten senior Democrats.
He brusquely dismissed the suggestion that he could not win re-election.
“I’ve won 25 elections. Does anybody really think I don’t know how to win another one?” Mr. Obey said, eliciting a wave of applause from Democratic lawmakers and staff members, the second of three during his 45-minute announcement. “Or, for that matter, has anybody ever seen me walk away from a fight in my life?”
His decision reverberated in the House because he was the most prominent lawmaker to decide to retire so far this year. It caught Democrats on Capitol Hill and in Wisconsin by surprise, since he has often in the past vacillated before ultimately placing his name on the ballot. Still, it was not a total shock. The night the House passed the health care law, Mr. Obey noted that it was the very legislation he had come to Congress to pass in 1969.Republicans saw the decision as a pivotal moment.
“There is no question that David Obey was facing the race of his life and that is why it is understandable that the architect of President Obama’s failed stimulus plan has decided to call it quits,” said Ken Spain, a spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee.
Other Democrats said Mr. Obey would have retained his seat. In explaining his decision, they pointed to more personal factors, including the deaths in February of Representative John P. Murtha of Pennsylvania and former Representative Charlie Wilson of Texas, two longtime Appropriations Committee colleagues who died just days apart at age 76.
“When Jack Murtha and Charlie Wilson went at the same time, it really had an effect on him,” said Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who served as a junior Democratic member of the panel to the three and said she had prayed that Mr. Obey would stay. “It is a big loss for us intellectually.”
Mr. Obey was also known for his strong advocacy of federal spending as a way to attack public problems and needs, and he was heading into an era when federal dollars were not going to be as free flowing as in the past.
Mr. Obey first won a special election to the seat, replacing Melvin R. Laird, who was appointed secretary of defense by President Richard M. Nixon at the height of the Vietnam War. Since then, Mr. Obey won 21 straight races, prevailing through wars, economic crises, the 1994 Republican takeover and other turmoil under eight presidents. (He had earlier been elected three times to the Wisconsin State Assembly.)
“David Obey is a unique talent,” said Representative Steny H. Hoyer of Maryland, the majority leader.
Even with Mr. Obey’s decision to retire, Democrats still have one less open House seat to defend this year than Republicans. But more departures by senior members of such stature could undermine Democratic claims to confidence about retaining the House majority.
In Wisconsin, Sean P. Duffy, the district attorney from Ashland County, was seen as the leading Republican challenger in the district. He has mounted an aggressive campaign against Mr. Obey, saying in an interview last month, “It’s not a lifetime appointment.”It is possible that more established Republicans could enter the race now that Mr. Obey is out.
Democratic officials in Wisconsin said that two state senators from the district, Pat Kreitlow and Julie Lassa, were expected to explore the race, along with a state representative, Donna Seidel. Party officials said Mr. Obey’s decision could have ripple effects, expressing concern that the absence of his name from the ballot could make the district harder to carry for statewide candidates.
Mr. Obey said his future plans were unsettled but he could not resist a parting jab at the Senate, where many of favored initiatives have stalled and died.
“I don’t know what I will do next,” said Mr. Obey, who was joined by his wife, Joan, and their children. “All I do know is that there has to be more to life than explaining the ridiculous, accountability-destroying rules of the United States Senate to confused and angry and frustrated constituents.” no word
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