On Tuesday’s broadcast of MSNBC’s “All In,” Representative Luis Gutierrez (D-IL) elaborated on the reasons for not seeking re-election in 2018, stating he wants to spend more time with his family, do more to help Puerto Rico, and organize inside the immigrant community “so that we don’t have another sad night in 2020.”
Gutierrez said, “It’s been 25 years, Chris. And during those 25 years, I’ve spent 4,000 nights away from my home, right? Where my wife lives, where my daughters and my grandson, I want to be closer to them. But also, Chris, think about it a moment. I love that island [Puerto Rico] so much. It’s my ancestral home. She’s battered and bruised, and we’ve got to rebuild her. And it’s not fair to the people of the 4th Congressional District. My heart’s just torn. I want to be here, and I want to be there, and I want to do more for her. The people of the 4th Congressional District need someone that’s focused on the 4th. It’s only right.”
He added, “I’m not retiring. I intend to go out there and build the kind of organizational apparatus in the immigrant community that we haven’t seen yet. That’s my goal. … [L]et’s create that kind of movement so that we don’t have another sad night in 2020.”
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