Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) announced on Monday that she will seek reelection instead of challenging Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) for his Senate seat.
Pressley, a member of the progressive “Squad,” said she wants to stay to spend time with her daughter during her last year of high school and continue representing a district “that has been in the crosshairs of the White House.”
“It is the honor of my professional life to be the Congresswoman for the Massachusetts 7th Congressional District,” Pressley wrote in a statement on Tuesday.
“Hearing from so many people from throughout our Commonwealth encouraging me to run for the United States Senate was deeply humbling and a testament to the strength of our movement,” she wrote. “It would be an honor to serve the whole Commonwealth — but with our daughter in her last year at home before college and a district that has been in the crosshairs of this White House, I am certain that the Massachusetts 7th is where I belong in this moment.”
Pressley made additional remarks to the Boston Globe, telling the outlet she will leave the door open for a future Senate run.
“I’m not closing the door to a Senate run down the line, and I’ve never done the work of organizing or movement building just for an election cycle; that’s the work that I do year-round and especially in these unprecedented times, so that work will continue,” she said.
“I do want to be able to sit around the dinner table and be there for my daughter’s dance performances when I can. These are just moments I’m not going to be able to get back,” she added.
Pressley was rumored to run for the statewide seat currently held by her Democratic colleague in November.
An October poll from the University of Massachusetts Amherst showed Pressley trailing Markey and her House colleague Rep. Seth Moulton (D-MA), who announced his run in October, by a significant margin.
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However, when asked about her intent to run for the statewide office, Pressley’s office declined to comment.
“The Congresswoman remains focused on ending Republicans’ government shutdown, serving her district, and effectively fighting back against the White House’s attacks on the LGBTQ+ community, Black and brown folks, federal workers, and our immigrant neighbors,” Pressley spokesman Ricardo Sánchez said.