Yes, I normally refer to this as ‘cutting and running,’ but Towns has been decent on free trade, net neutrality, and endorsed Giuliani for Mayor of NYC. Also, Al Sharpton hates him. That’s worth at least a little mercy.
Besides, the news that a sixteen term Congressman – and one of their heavy hitters, too; Towns was Oversight chair before the GOP took the House back in 2010 – isn’t running for office again should be sufficiently unnerving for the Democrats anyway. As the National Journal helpfully notes, this puts the score for retirements to 25: 15 Democratic, 10 Republican. And if you’re wondering why that number isn’t being widely mentioned, it’s probably because it’s not very helpful to the existing narrative that the Democrats have a hope of retaking the House this year. Continue reading #rsrh Edolphus Towns (D, NY)… will not run for re-election.