On Sept. 1, 2025, Rep. Jerrold “Jerry” Nadler, 78, said he will not seek re-election next year, ending a 34-year tenure that made him one of the House’s most prominent liberal voices and a central figure in the impeachments of former President Donald Trump. The move opens a rare, highly coveted Democratic seat in Manhattan and underscores a broader push for younger leadership inside the party.
Key Takeaways
- Nadler will retire at the end of his current term, closing a 34-year House career that began in 1992.
- He cited the need for generational turnover in Democratic leadership as a key reason for stepping aside.
- A former House Judiciary Committee chair, he helped steer the 2019 impeachment of Donald Trump.
- His Manhattan district, spanning from Union Square toward Central Park, is likely to draw a crowded Democratic primary field.
- Nadler is currently both the longest-serving New Yorker and the longest-serving Jewish member in the House.
- A person familiar with his thinking says he plans to back former aide Micah Lasher, 43, if Lasher runs; Lasher declined comment.
- Nadler has shifted sharply on Israel’s conduct in Gaza and plans to support efforts to block transfers of offensive U.S. weapons while backing missile-defense aid.
- His legislative record includes bipartisan work on the Voting Rights Act (2006), curbing surveillance powers (2015), and codifying same-sex marriage (2022).
Verified Facts
Nadler confirmed he will not run in the 2026 election, a decision that would conclude a congressional career spanning 34 years. First elected to the House in 1992, he rose to national prominence as chair of the House Judiciary Committee during Trump’s first impeachment, where his committee advanced articles adopted by the House in 2019.
He framed his decision around party renewal, saying recent events convinced him that Democrats should more fully embrace a new generation of leaders. The announcement follows an internal reshuffle earlier this Congress in which he no longer held the top Democratic role on Judiciary.
Nadler’s district sits in the heart of Manhattan, an area dense with major employers, cultural institutions, and high-dollar donors. Open seats there are unusual and typically trigger competitive, well-funded primaries.
Beyond impeachment, Nadler’s record includes shepherding or negotiating bipartisan compromises on major bills: the 2006 reauthorization of the Voting Rights Act; measures trimming back post-9/11 surveillance authorities in 2015; and the 2022 Respect for Marriage Act, which codified federal protections for same-sex marriage.
He represents a constituency deeply shaped by 9/11. After the 2001 attacks, when the World Trade Center fell within his district lines, Nadler pressed for federal funds to rebuild Lower Manhattan and for long-term care for responders and residents exposed to toxic debris.
Context & Impact
Nadler’s exit spotlights a broader generational recalibration within the Democratic Party as voters and activists press for younger faces in top roles. In New York City, the contest to replace him could quickly become a marquee primary, pitting progressive, liberal, and establishment factions against one another in a district where national issues—from reproductive rights to the Israel-Gaza war—animate the electorate.
His break with Israel’s current war policy could reverberate locally. Long seen as both pro-Israel and progressive, Nadler has increasingly criticized the conduct of the war in Gaza and says he will join Democrats using congressional tools to halt transfers of offensive weapons, while maintaining support for missile-defense systems. That stance may influence would-be successors who court a politically diverse, highly engaged Manhattan base.
Nadler also warned that a second Trump presidency threatens democratic guardrails he has long defended, a throughline of his tenure from post-9/11 civil liberties fights to the impeachment era. He nonetheless voiced optimism that Democrats can recapture the House next year, reshaping the legislative agenda even before the 2026 midterms.
Official Statements
We need to make space for the next generation in Democratic leadership.
Jerrold Nadler
I can’t defend what Israel is doing in Gaza.
Jerrold Nadler
Unconfirmed
- Potential endorsement: A person familiar with Nadler’s thinking says he intends to support Assembly Member Micah Lasher, 43, if Lasher runs. Lasher declined to comment, and Nadler did not announce an endorsement.
- Primary field: Multiple allies are expected to consider the race, but no official candidate list was provided at publication.
Bottom Line
Jerrold Nadler’s retirement closes a consequential, 34-year chapter in New York and national politics. His decision amplifies calls for younger Democratic leadership and sets up a high-stakes Manhattan primary, even as his late-term positions—on Trump-era threats and the Israel-Gaza war—continue to shape the debate he leaves behind.