Rep. John Dingell announces retirement

The Michigan Democrat, who was often at the center of health care debates as he sought universal health care benefits, says he will not seek a 30th term in Congress.

The Associated Press: Dingell, Longest-Serving Congressman, To Retire
The Michigan Democrat, who was elected to his late father's seat in 1955 and has held it ever since, announced his decision while addressing a chamber of commerce in Southgate, near Detroit. Afterward, he told reporters that he will not run for a 30th full term because he could not have lived up to his own standards (Karoub and Eggert, 2/24).

Politico: The 'Babe Ruth' Of Legislators
Congress is losing a lot of policy heavyweights this year, but there's only one whose career spans from the creation of Medicare to the passage of the Affordable Care Act. In his nearly six decades in Congress, John Dingell has played a central role in more issues than most ordinary lawmakers ever get to touch -; everything from health care to energy, environmental laws, food safety and telecommunications policy, and an aggressive oversight approach that cut across even more issues that affect Americans daily. ... And Dingell is the Democrat who introduced a universal health care bill in every new session of Congress, keeping the cause alive until the passage of President Barack Obama's signature legislative achievement in 2010. He rallied Democrats to keep going, urging them not to let another health care reform effort end in failure. And at the signing ceremony, it was Dingell who sat next to Obama, grinning broadly as his cause became the law of the land (Nather, 2/24).

The New York Times: John Dingell To Retire After Nearly 60 Years In House
No member of the House has served as long as Representative John D. Dingell, Democrat of Michigan. So it resonated when Mr. Dingell announced on Monday that he would not seek re-election to a seat he has held since the Eisenhower administration in part because the institution he once revered had become "obnoxious," driven by acrimony and marked by lack of productivity (Hulse and Parker, 2/24). 

Los Angeles Times: John Dingell, Dean Of The House, Plans To Retire
During his long House career Dingell was a champion for Democratic priorities, foremost among them universal health care. At the start of each new Congress Dingell would introduce a bill to establish a universal healthcare system; he was at President Obama's side when he signed the Affordable Care Act into law in 2010 (Memoli, 2/24).

The Wall Street Journal: Michigan Rep. John Dingell To Retire
In his 58 years in Congress, Mr. Dingell has been known for his fierce protection of Michigan's auto industry, putting him at odds with the Democratic caucus's commitment to tougher antipollution standards. But he championed liberal policies elsewhere. He had a hand in some of Congress's landmark legislative efforts, including Medicare, the 1990 Clean Air Act, the Affordable Care Act, and the 1964 Voting Rights Act -- which he said in June was the "single most important vote I cast" (Ballhaus and Peterson, 2/24). 

The Washington Post: In John Dingell's Departure, A Changing Of The Guard And The End Of An Old Style Of Power
Yet on other issues, Dingell is an ardently old-style liberal. His most cherished cause was expanding health care coverage, which came to fruition with the passage of the Affordable Care Act (Tumulty and Kane, 2/24). 

Kaiser Health News: Capsules: Rep. John Dingell, Long-Time Champion Of Health Legislation, Will Not Seek Re-Election
Another health care legend is retiring on Capitol Hill. Rep. John D. Dingell, a Michigan Democrat who was a key player in many health care battles in Congress, including enactment of the 2010 health care law and his push for a "Patient's Bill of Rights" in the late 1990s and early 2000s, said Monday he will retire at the end of his current term (Carey, 2/24).