Barbara Boxer, the staunch liberal Democratic lawmaker from California, announced Thursday that she will not run for re-election to the U.S. Senate in 2016.
Boxer, 74, made the announcement in a three-minute long YouTube video. In the video, Boxer is interviewed by her oldest grandson, Zach Rodham.
“I am never going to retire, the work is too important,” Boxer tells her grandson. “But I will not be running for the Senate in 2016.”
Boxer said she looks forward to spending more time in California, and that her age was not a factor in her decision.
“Here’s the thing,” she said. “Some people are old at 40. And some people are old at 80. It depends on the person. As for me, I feel as young as I did when I got elected. I was in my fifties when I got elected to the Senate.”
As for her future, Boxer made an apparent reference to Hillary Clinton, saying she wants to “help our Democratic candidate for president make history” in 2016.
She also said she wants to make sure her Senate seat “stays progressive, that is so critical.”
Michelle Obama’s name has been mentioned in political circles as a possible candidate, though it’s not clear how serious a prospect that would be. Would she do that, she’d follow in the steps of former New York Sen. Hillary Clinton as a former first lady adopting a new state to run for the Senate.
Boxer has served in the Senate since 1993. Prior to that, she served in the House of Representatives. In 2010, she defeated Republican Carly Fiorina, the former CEO of Hewlett-Packard when she ran for re-election.
Watch the video: