Democratic U.S. Rep. Lois Capps, 77, announced on Wednesday that she will be retiring her congressional post, leaving the competitive 24th congressional district seat open for the first time in almost two decades. Capps, who is from Santa Barbara, was first elected as the representative for the 24th district in 1998.
“And so I’m announcing that this 114th Congress will be my last. And at the completion of this term, I will retire,” Capps announced in a YouTube video.
Although rumors have swirled around the possibility that her daughter and fellow Democrat Laura Capps, 42, could be eyeing her mother’s seat, it appears a Republican candidate could pick up the seat.
“The 24th District has been competitive for multiple cycles and instantly becomes a more likely pick up opportunity for Republicans in 2016 with Lois Capps’ retirement,” said National Republican Congressional Committee Spokesman Zach Hunter.
The younger Capps is married to Bill Burton, a Democratic political consultant who served as Obama’s national press secretary during his first presidential campaign.
Follow Adelle Nazarian on Twitter @AdelleNaz
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