Maine Republican Sen. Olympia Snowe retires
Maine Sen. Olympia Snowe heading into a weekly Senate Republican policy luncheon at the U.S. Captiol on Nov. 29, 2011. Her announcement that she will not seek a fourth term after 33 years in the Congress has come as a surprise to party colleagues.
Maine Republican Sen. Olympia Snowe has announced she is retiring from politics and will not seek reelection in 2012.
In a statement quoted by Associated Press, Snowe, who is seen as a moderate Republican, cites frustration over the current “atmosphere of polarization and ‘my way or the highway’ ideologies” as her reason for not seeking a fourth term.
"I am a fighter at heart, and I am well prepared for the electoral battle," she said. "Unfortunately, I do not realistically expect the partisanship of recent years in the Senate to change over the short term. So at this stage of my tenure in public service, I have concluded that I am not prepared to commit myself to an additional six years in the Senate."
The 65-year-old added that she was confident she would’ve won re-election and will be retiring after 33 years in Congress in good health.
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The senator's campaign office issued her statement on Tuesday afternoon, and it was confirmed by her campaign manager, Justin Brasell.
The Washington Post has described Snowe's retirement as a "major setback" to the GOP's efforts to retain a majority in the Senate. "As a moderate Republican, she may be the party’s only hope to hold a seat in the strongly blue state," the newspaper comments.
The Wall Street Journal says that Snowe's announcement makes the Senate seat a likely pick-up target for Democrats in their bid to retain their narrow 53-47 advantage in the Senate.
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However, the LA Times and The Guardian quote the National Republican Senatorial Committee chairman John Cornyn as saying: "Maine has a proud history of electing independent leaders, including a Republican Governor in 2010, and while this will be a key battleground in the fall, I am confident it will remain in Republican hands."
Freshly published vote ratings from the National Journal put Snowe squarely in the Senate's ideological center of the Senate. Only Maine's junior GOP, Susan Collins, ranked as a more liberal Republican member.
In a statement, Collins said she was "absolutely devastated" by Snowe's decision to retire, according to USA Today.
"Olympia could always be counted on as a leader who sought solutions, not political advantage. She served our nation with distinction and she continues to bring honor to our state," she said.
Snowe becomes the 10th senator to announce plans to retire at the end of the current term, and only the third Republican, the Chicago Tribune notes.