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Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD) will retire from Congress after serving in the House of Representatives for more than 40 years.
He is currently the longest-serving House Democrat.
Hoyer, 86, has represented Maryland’s 5th congressional district since 1981.
He served as House Majority Leader from 2007 to 2011 and again from 2019 to 2023, making him the second-ranking Democrat.
Breaking news: Rep. Steny H. Hoyer will not seek reelection, ending a nearly six-decade career in elected office, including two decades as the No. 2 House Democrat. https://t.co/tnTQLfXcNZ
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) January 8, 2026
POLITICO has more:
Hoyer confirmed the news in an interview with the Washington Post that was published shortly after POLITICO’s initial report, which cited two people granted anonymity to confirm the news ahead of a public announcement.
“I did not want to be one of those members who clearly stayed, outstayed his or her ability to do the job,” he told the Post.
Hoyer, who represents a district stretching from the eastern Washington suburbs to southern Maryland, has served in Congress since 1981, rising up through the ranks to become the second-ranking House Democrat under Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
The two leaders were known for their personal rivalry dating back to their days as congressional interns in the 1960s, but after Pelosi defeated Hoyer in a 2001 leadership race they ultimately formed an effective partnership atop the Democratic Caucus.
While Pelosi was known for her progressive views and strong fundraising, Hoyer was a master of interpersonal relations — both among fellow Democrats and across the aisle — making him a highly effective floor leader.
He stepped aside from his senior role after Democrats lost the House in 2022 as part of a broader changing of the guard but remained in Congress, retaking a senior post on the House Appropriations Committee.
Reps. Hal Rogers (R-KY) and Chris Smith (R-NJ) are the only two sitting House members who have served longer than Hoyer.
Hoyer will join Pelosi as former Democratic House leaders stepping down from Congress in the 2026 midterms.
Rep. Steny H. Hoyer, a longtime Democratic leader from suburban Maryland, will join former Speaker Nancy Pelosi in not seeking reelection this year. https://t.co/OGHzsBs8J2 pic.twitter.com/kYhAjCwsDE
— Roll Call (@rollcall) January 8, 2026
NOTUS shared further:
Hoyer is known among colleagues in Congress as an institutionalist, working with Democrats and Republicans alike. He told the Post that his retirement announcement would be different from many of his more than 40 colleagues who have recently announced their own departures from the chamber — because he still believes in the institution.
His announcement comes two months after Speaker emerita Pelosi said in a video that she would retire at the end of this Congress, ending questions about whether she planned to run for another term as an octogenarian member of the Democratic caucus.
All eyes shifted to Hoyer and Rep. Jim Clyburn, the other members in Democratic leadership who stepped aside after 2022 to allow a new wave of leaders in the party.
Hoyer helped Pelosi lead Democrats in passing President Joe Biden’s American Rescue Plan and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law during his administration. He’s a centrist Democrat who also helped lead the chamber in passing the Americans With Disabilities Act in 1990.