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Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Lawmaker Literally Can\'t Wait to Leave Congress

By ADESHINA EMMANUEL

So much for a long goodbye.

Representative Dennis Cardoza of California, a five-term Blue Dog Democrat, had already announced that he would not run for re-election and retire after this year. But on Tuesday, he issued a statement surprising many saying that he would, in fact, step down immediately.

The timing of Mr. Cardoza's departure ensures that his seat will not be filled with a special election, and his staff will continue to serve constituents until his successor is elected in November. The resignation is unlikely to have much impact in the House, where little if any major legislative action is expected the rest of the year. The chamber now has five vacant seats.

In October 2011, Mr. Cardoza said that he would not run for a sixth term. As reasoning behind his decision, Mr. Cardoza cited the “increasingly harsh tone” of the nation's politics.

In an interview with the Sacramento Bee on Monday, M r. Cardoza said the time was right “in light of the fact that nothing is going to happen for the rest of the year” in Congress.

Additionally, congressional redistricting in California set him up in an undesirable position running against another California Democrat, Representative Jim Costa.

In the interview, he also said that he and his wife, Dr. Kathleen McLoughlin, “are facing increasing parenting challenges.”

The couple has three children, one biological and two adopted in 2000. Mr. Cardoza said his family has supported his career and sacrificed so that he could serve.

“I am grateful to my wife Kathie, who has been at my side since the beginning, and who still writes notes of inspiration and tapes them to my bathroom mirror when times are tough,” he said in the statement released Tuesday.

With his departure, House Democrats will lose one of its more centrist members. Mr. Cardoza touted numerous accom plishments from more than 20 years serving at various levels of government. Among them: fixing a constituent's street light, championing an Atwater, C.A. community center, supporting local farmers and making progress on infrastructure, environmental issues and health care, and expanding protections for abused and abandoned children.

In his statement, Mr. Cardoza thanked an array of politicians from both sides of the aisle, but offered special thanks to Blue Dog Democrats.

“Long may you bark,” he said.