WASHINGTON — Rep. Ted Deutch, D-Fla., announced Monday that he will not seek re-election and instead plans to leave Congress this fall to become the CEO of the American Jewish Committee.
"After serving the public for more than 15 years, I have decided I will not seek re-election this November," Deutch said in a statement.
He continued: "Public service was instilled in me by my father who earned a Purple Heart in the Battle of the Bulge, and it has been a tremendous privilege to serve the people of Palm Beach and Broward Counties in Congress since 2010. I am incredibly grateful to my constituents for their support and friendship."
His retirement brings the number of Democratic members of Congress deciding not to seek re-election to 31.
Republicans have pointed to the large number of Democratic retirees as evidence that the party is fearful that it will lose control of the House after this fall's midterm elections.
Deutch, 55, noted that his community changed in February 2018 when 17 students and teachers at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School were killed in a shooting massacre. He also mentioned his nephew, Eli, who died last year from accidental fentanyl ingestion. Deutch said he plans to raise awareness in the coming months about the threat of fentanyl to young people.
Deutch, a seven-term Democrat who first came to Congress in 2010, is the chair of the House Ethics Committee.
The American Jewish Committee said Monday that it has appointed Deutch to serve as its next CEO starting Oct. 1. The organization said he was chosen unanimously by its 28-member executive council.
Deutch said in a statement: "I have worked closely with AJC throughout my tenure in Congress and I am deeply honored to have been chosen to serve as the organization’s next CEO. For 116 years, AJC has worked to protect global Jewry, strengthen Israel’s place in the community of nations, and advance democratic values around the world."
