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Hagel To Retire
Hagel to Retire at End of Term, Aides Say
By DAVID M. HERSZENHORN
Published: September 8, 2007
WASHINGTON, Sept. 8 ¡ª Senator Chuck Hagel, the Nebraska Republican and outspoken critic of the Iraq war who had been mulling a run for president, will retire at the end of his term in early 2009 and drop his bid for the White House, aides said today.
Mr. Hagel said he would make a formal announcement in Omaha on Monday morning, his aides said.
In announcing his retirement, Mr. Hagel is fulfilling a promise that he made to voters when he first ran for the Senate in 1996 that we would retire after serving two terms. But his decision is the latest political setback for the Republican Party in its effort to prevent Democrats from extending their majority in Congress next year.
Former Senator Bob Kerrey, a Nebraska Democrat, who has been president of The New School University in New York City since leaving office in 2001, has said that he might return to Nebraska to run for office again. Mr. Kerrey is also a former governor of Nebraska.
In just the last two weeks, Senator John W. Warner of Virginia, one of the most influential Republicans on military policy, announced that he will retire next year after finishing his fifth term. And Senator Larry E. Craig of Idaho, who pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct after his arrest in a men¡¯s room sex sting at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, announced that he would resign at the end of the month, though there was subsequent speculation after his announcement last week that he might keep his seat. Even if Mr. Craig does not resign ¡ª he is seeking to reverse his guilty plea ¡ª he has indicated that he will not seek re-election next year.
In all, the Republicans must defend 22 seats in the 2008 elections, compared to just 12 seats that Democrats are seeking to retain.
Mr. Hagel¡¯s retirement plans were first reported by newspapers in Omaha and Lincoln, Neb., late Friday night.
Mr. Hagel is a Vietnam veteran and one of the most prominent Republican voices on military affairs, although in recent months he often caused headaches for his party with his criticism of the war in Iraq.
Jon Bruning, the Nebraska attorney general and a former state lawmaker, had already declared that he would challenge Mr. Hagel in the Republican primary next year, citing Mr. Hagel¡¯s break with the Republicans and the Bush administration over the war.
Mike Johanns, President Bush¡¯s secretary of agriculture, and a former two-term governor of Nebraska is another possible candidate for Mr. Hagel¡¯s seat.
The speculation about a presidential bid by Mr. Hagel had included the possibility that he would run on an independent ticket with Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg of New York, who like Mr. Hagel has expressed deep frustration with the partisan divide in American politics.
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By DAVID M. HERSZENHORN
Published: September 8, 2007
WASHINGTON, Sept. 8 ¡ª Senator Chuck Hagel, the Nebraska Republican and outspoken critic of the Iraq war who had been mulling a run for president, will retire at the end of his term in early 2009 and drop his bid for the White House, aides said today.
Mr. Hagel said he would make a formal announcement in Omaha on Monday morning, his aides said.
In announcing his retirement, Mr. Hagel is fulfilling a promise that he made to voters when he first ran for the Senate in 1996 that we would retire after serving two terms. But his decision is the latest political setback for the Republican Party in its effort to prevent Democrats from extending their majority in Congress next year.
Former Senator Bob Kerrey, a Nebraska Democrat, who has been president of The New School University in New York City since leaving office in 2001, has said that he might return to Nebraska to run for office again. Mr. Kerrey is also a former governor of Nebraska.
In just the last two weeks, Senator John W. Warner of Virginia, one of the most influential Republicans on military policy, announced that he will retire next year after finishing his fifth term. And Senator Larry E. Craig of Idaho, who pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct after his arrest in a men¡¯s room sex sting at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, announced that he would resign at the end of the month, though there was subsequent speculation after his announcement last week that he might keep his seat. Even if Mr. Craig does not resign ¡ª he is seeking to reverse his guilty plea ¡ª he has indicated that he will not seek re-election next year.
In all, the Republicans must defend 22 seats in the 2008 elections, compared to just 12 seats that Democrats are seeking to retain.
Mr. Hagel¡¯s retirement plans were first reported by newspapers in Omaha and Lincoln, Neb., late Friday night.
Mr. Hagel is a Vietnam veteran and one of the most prominent Republican voices on military affairs, although in recent months he often caused headaches for his party with his criticism of the war in Iraq.
Jon Bruning, the Nebraska attorney general and a former state lawmaker, had already declared that he would challenge Mr. Hagel in the Republican primary next year, citing Mr. Hagel¡¯s break with the Republicans and the Bush administration over the war.
Mike Johanns, President Bush¡¯s secretary of agriculture, and a former two-term governor of Nebraska is another possible candidate for Mr. Hagel¡¯s seat.
The speculation about a presidential bid by Mr. Hagel had included the possibility that he would run on an independent ticket with Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg of New York, who like Mr. Hagel has expressed deep frustration with the partisan divide in American politics.
Copyright 2007 The New York Times Company Privacy Policy Search Corrections RSS First Look Help Contact Us Work for Us Site Map
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