The New York Times-20080125-Upstate Republican to Retire From House
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Upstate Republican to Retire From House
Representative James T. Walsh, a Republican from central New York facing a tough re-election challenge, announced on Thursday that he would retire this year, delivering yet another blow to national Republicans.
Mr. Walsh, a 10-term representative who was influential in the House until Democrats seized control of the chamber after the 2006 election, said he felt that it was time to move on.
I turned 60 this year, and I've been thinking about when would be the right time, he said at a news conference in his district office in Syracuse. I think that after that many years, it's time to do something else. I've climbed all the political mountains I want to climb.
He did not elaborate on what he might do next. I don't have a net to land in, he said.
Member of both parties said Mr. Walsh had grown frustrated with his diminished role in Congress as a member of the minority at a time when his party's prospects of retaking control of the House seemed increasingly remote.
Mr. Walsh's decision caught lawmakers by surprise, in large part because he had been talking about running an aggressive re-election campaign this year after being nearly defeated in 2006.
His decision adds yet another complication to the Republican Party's efforts to prevent Democrats from expanding their majority in the House in the coming election. Asked if he had consulted party leaders about his decision, he said, My theory is it is better to ask forgiveness than to ask permission.
Democratic leaders in Washington said his retirement offered them a prime opportunity to pick up a Republican-held seat, citing the heavy Democrat-leaning voting trends in Mr. Walsh's district.
Mr. Walsh is the 24th Republican member of the House to announce retirement plans since Democrats took control after the 2006 election. Democrats said his decision reflected the low morale among Republicans.
Mr. Walsh, whose 25th Congressional District stretches from the Syracuse area through miles of farm country to the northeastern suburbs of Rochester, had been bracing for a tough campaign against Dan Maffei, the Democrat he narrowly defeated in 2006.
Mr. Walsh was well aware that his party faced a potentially brutal electoral climate, particularly in heavily Democratic New York, and moved to strengthen his position heading into the 2008 election.
He had sided with the Democrats on a variety of issues since they returned to power in Congress, including an increase in the minimum wage and a repeal of tax breaks for oil companies.
More than that, though, Mr. Walsh decided to break with his party on the Iraq war, announcing in September that he was backing a troop withdrawal, after Democrats had hammered away at him on the issue.
For much of his career, Mr. Walsh was a political fixture in the Syracuse region, allowing him to win re-elections handily over the years.
Part of his success grew out of the power he wielded in Congress when Republicans were in control of the House. He used an influential post on the Appropriations Committee to steer hundreds of millions of dollars in federal aid to the hospitals, colleges and farms in his district.
But his near loss in the last election took a toll on him, Republicans said. Mr. Walsh suggested as much in discussing his decision to retire, saying, The time was right to go out on my own terms.
Mr. Walsh's decision sent Republican officials in Washington scrambling to find a candidate to replace him.
Republicans mentioned as possible candidates include Roy A. Bernardi, a former Syracuse mayor who is now a deputy secretary at the Department of Housing and Urban Development; William J. Fitzpatrick, the Onondaga County district attorney; and Maggie Brooks, the Monroe County executive.
[Illustration]PHOTO: James T. Walsh