Peter DeFazio is 19th Democrat to announce he's leaving the House
CBSN
Congressman Peter DeFazio, the longest serving representative in Oregon's history and chair of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, announced Wednesday he wouldn't seek reelection in 2022.
"It's time for me to pass the baton to the next generation so I can focus on my health and well-being," he wrote in a statement. "This was a tough decision at a challenging time for our republic with the very pillars of our democracy under threat, but I am bolstered by the passion and principles of my colleagues in Congress and the ingenuity and determination of young Americans who are civically engaged and working for change."
While DeFazio is the 19th House Democrat to either retire or run for another office this election cycle, his departure is in keeping with a trend of senior-ranking Democrats departing the House, such as John Yarmuth or G.K. Butterfield, amid doubts that Democrats will be able to hold the majority in 2022.
Earlier this week, Rev. Greg Lewis, an assistant pastor at St. Gabriel's Church of God In Christ in Milwaukee, physically carried one of his parishioners to the polls inside the city's Midtown early voting center to cast a ballot in Wisconsin's upcoming Democratic primary. Supported by crutches and the pastor himself, the disabled man was one of many residents Lewis has helped vote this cycle.
Around 1:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed when a cargo ship lost power and crashed into it. Officials were able to prevent cars from driving onto the bridge just before the accident, but eight construction workers remained on the structure and plummeted into the river below. Here's how the events unfolded.