Kuster not seeking reelection to New Hampshire House seat

Rep. Annie Kuster announced Wednesday she would not seek reelection this fall, making her the latest member to retire following this Congress.

“We all have a role to play in standing up for what we believe in, advocating for a better future, and pursuing the change that we want to see. I always said I was not going to stay in Congress forever — I will not be seeking re-election in 2024,” the New Hampshire Democrat said in a statement.

Kuster, the chair of the centrist New Democrat coalition, has sought out bipartisan compromises in the narrowly divided House. She said she would stay through the end of her term and would remain the chair of the centrist bloc. She’s also been open about her experiences as a sexual assault survivor and her trauma of living through the Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol.

She was first elected to Congress in 2012 after flipping a GOP-held seat, and her departure will kick off a scramble for her bluish district in the western half of New Hampshire. President Joe Biden won Kuster’s district by 9 points in 2020.