Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., will not seek re-election and will retire at the end of her term next year.
The Cuban American lawmaker, from a district in Miami-Dade County, has served in Congress for decades and is seen as a centrist in a battleground state. She was the first Latina woman elected to Congress in 1989, according to the Library of Congress.
“It’s been such a delight and a high honor to serve our community for so many years and help constituents every day of the week,” she told the Miami Herald in a telephone interview Sunday. “We just said, ‘It’s time to take a new step.'”
Ros-Lehtinen is a former chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Her views on certain issues often clash with members of her party. She opposes the GOP healthcare bill and supports same-sex marriage. She has also clashed with the views and policies espoused by President Trump on transgender rights, deportations and his travel ban aimed at certain Muslim-majority countries.
After the news broke, several Republican leaders shared their praise for Ros-Lehtinen.
“Illeana Ros-Lehtinen is simply a force of nature. Her tireless work ethic was only matched by her charismatic personality. She represented her South Florida district well and she will be dearly missed in Washington. I wish her and her family the best,” said Rep. Steve Stivers, R-Ohio, chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee.
House Speaker Paul Ryan called her “a force” and said it was a “privilege to serve with her.”
A source told the Washington Examiner’s Al Weaver that Florida Lt. Gov. Carlos Lopez Cantera is considering a run for the seat vacated by Ros-Lehtinen in the state’s 27th Congressional District.
Ileana @RosLehtinen is a force. Voice for the voiceless & vulnerable. First Hispanic woman in Congress. Such a privilege to serve with her.
— Paul Ryan (@SpeakerRyan) April 30, 2017
