House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi on Thursday denied speculation that she'll be retiring from Congress at the end of this term like Henry Waxman, her ally and fellow California Democrat.
Pelosi made it clear that she's seeking a 14th term.
"I'm running," she
told The National Journal in a statement. "I've already started the paperwork process. My work is not finished."
Waxman, 74, who was first elected to Congress in 1974, is the second Democrat from the Golden State to announce his retirement this month.
Rep. George Miller, 68, said last week that he was making this year his last in Congress. He, too, was first elected to the House in 1974.
Both Waxman and Miller — along with Rep. Jim Moran of Virginia, also 68 and who announced his retirement two days after Miller did — are close Pelosi allies, the National Journal reports.
In fact, Waxman helped Pelosi
steer Obamacare through the lower chamber as chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee in 2009 and 2010.
The retirements make it even less likely that the Democrats will re-take control of the House in November, as the party needs to gain 17 seats from the election, The National Journal reports.
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