Vermont Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy, who was first elected to the Senate in 1974 during the Vietnam War, after the U.S. withdrawal but before the Fall of Saigon, announced on Monday that he would not be seeking reelection.
“It is time to pass the torch to the next Vermonter who will carry on this work for our great state. It’s time to come home,” the 81-year-old senator announced from the Vermont State House.
“I know I have been there for my state when I was needed most. I know I have taken our best ideas and helped them grow. I brought Vermont’s voice to the United States Senate and Vermont values across the world,” he added.
Leahy, who will complete his eighth term as U.S. senator, was first elected in 1974 when the Vietnam War was ongoing. According to reports, he will retire as one of the longest-serving senators in American history, behind three others including Robert C. Byrd and Strom Thurmond.
According to Roll Call, Leahy’s Senate career is older than several current senators.
“His tenure in the chamber means Leahy was a U.S. senator before four of his colleagues were born: Sens. Tom Cotton, R-Ark.; Josh Hawley, R-Mo.; Jon Ossoff, D-Ga.; and Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz,” the outlet noted.
President Biden, who had the 18 longest senate career in American history, was elected in 1972, two years before Leahy, only to step away in 2009 when he became vice president.
Six years behind Leahy in terms of time served, is Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley who announced earlier this year that he would seek an eight senate term. If elected, Grassley would then be the longest-serving current senator.
NBC reported, “[Leahy] currently chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee chair and is third in the line of succession to the presidency as president pro tempore of the Senate, after the vice president and the Speaker of the House. He was last re-elected in 2016.”
Leahy’s retirement opens up a senate race where no Republicans or Democrats have officially declared candidacy for the seat. On the Democrat side, there is speculation that several statewide officeholders, like the current lieutenant governor or the senate president, might make a run.
With the Senate currently split 50-50, Leahy’s retirement might open up a chance for a Republican to fill the vacancy although the state went about two-thirds for Biden in 2020 with Trump only winning one county in the state.
Some have floated the possibility of current Republican Governor Phil Scott making a run for the open seat. Scott, who has been governor since 2017, often is at odds with the Republican Party. This year he signed a law allowing for condoms to be distributed to middle schoolers and last year touted his vote for Biden in the 2020 election.
“As many of you knew, I didn’t support President Trump. I wasn’t going to vote for him,” he said at the time. “But then I came to the conclusion that it wasn’t enough for me to just not vote. I had to vote against.”
However, as recently as May, Scott has said that he was not interested in running for senate. Independent Senator Bernie Sanders holds Vermont’s other seat.