Arizona Congressman Ed Pastor announced on Thursday that he will not seek re-election and will retire after completing 23 years in Washington.
Pastor’s announcement was almost immediately followed by an announcement by Arizona State Rep. Ruben Gallego. “I am in for Congress,” Gallego tweeted. Gallego is a Marine Corp veteran, who served in Iraq.
Controversial Maricopa County Supervisor Mary Rose Wilcox also announced her intention to run for the spot. Wilcox is currently serving her fifth four-year term on the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors.
Senator Steve Gallardo, who is frequently in the center of Arizona’s most controversial issues, announced his candidacy on Facebook. “Today also marks a pivotal moment because the residents of Congressional District 7 have the opportunity to look forward to choosing their next leader. As a fourth generation Phoenician and longtime fighter for equality, immigration and fair wages, I have decided to run for Congressional District 7. I hope to have your support so I can continue to be your voice for marriage equality, increasing the minimum wage and passing comprehensive immigration reform,” Gallardo told his Facebook friends.
Like Wilcox, Pastor served on the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors. After serving three terms, he ran for and won his seat in Congress in 1991.
While many of Pastor’s constituents are some of the poorest people in Maricopa County, Pastor became a millionaire during his incumbency, according to the New York Times in 2012. In 2007, The Arizona Republic revealed that “he had steered millions in federal dollars to a scholarship program for at-risk high-school students headed by his daughter.”
Pastor issued a statement saying that “it’s time for me to do something else.”
According to Govtrack.us, Pastor’s most recently sponsored bills are:
H.R. 3079: For the relief of Jesus Garcia Flores.
Sponsor: Rep. Ed Pastor [D-AZ7]
Introduced: Sep 10, 2013
Referred to Committee: Sep 10, 2013
H.R. 1401: For the relief of Jose Luis Alvarado Cardenas.
Sponsor: Rep. Ed Pastor [D-AZ7]
Introduced: Mar 21, 2013
Referred to Committee: Mar 21, 2013
H.R. 878: For the relief of Martha Palmillas de Morales.
Sponsor: Rep. Ed Pastor [D-AZ7]
Introduced: Feb 27, 2013
Referred to Committee: Feb 27, 2013
H.R. 591: For the relief of Edi Orlando Garcia Armas.
Sponsor: Rep. Ed Pastor [D-AZ7]
Introduced: Feb 06, 2013
Referred to Committee: Feb 06, 2013
H.R. 590: For the relief of Nery Antonio Velasquez-Roblero.
Sponsor: Rep. Ed Pastor [D-AZ7]
Introduced: Feb 06, 2013
Referred to Committee: Feb 06, 2013
H.R. 5939 (112th): To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 100 North Taylor Lane in Patagonia, Arizona, as the “Jim Kolbe Post Office”.
Sponsor: Rep. Ed Pastor [D-AZ7]
Introduced: Jun 08, 2012
Referred to Committee: Jun 08, 2012
H.R. 194 (112th): For the relief of Martha Palmillas de Morales.
Sponsor: Rep. Ed Pastor [D-AZ7]
Introduced: Jan 05, 2011
Referred to Committee: Jan 05, 2011
H.R. 195 (112th): For the relief of Nery Antonio Velasquez-Roblero.
Sponsor: Rep. Ed Pastor [D-AZ7]
Introduced: Jan 05, 2011
Referred to Committee: Jan 05, 2011
H.R. 6125 (111th): For the relief of Nery Antonio Velasquez-Roblero.
Sponsor: Rep. Ed Pastor [D-AZ7]
Introduced: Sep 14, 2010
Referred to Committee: Sep 14, 2010
H.R. 6120 (111th): Technology Deployment and Early-Stage Business Investment Act of 2010
Sponsor: Rep. Ed Pastor [D-AZ7]
Introduced: Sep 14, 2010
Referred to Committee: Sep 14, 2010
H.R. 4673 (111th): For the relief of Martha Palmillas de Morales.
Sponsor: Rep. Ed Pastor [D-AZ7]
Introduced: Feb 23, 2010
Referred to Committee: Feb 23, 2010