Rep. Tom Lantos, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, has announced he has esophageal cancer and will not be running for re-election in 2008. Here's part of Lantos's statement from the speaker's blog:
Routine medical tests have revealed that I have cancer of the esophagus. In view of this development and the treatment it will require, I will not seek re-election.
It is only in the United States that a penniless survivor of the Holocaust and a fighter in the anti-Nazi underground could have received an education, raised a family, and had the privilege of serving the last three decades of his life as a Member of Congress. I will never be able to express fully my profoundly felt gratitude to this great country.
Lantos was facing primary challenge from state Sen. Jackie Speier. Last month Roll Call reported (sub. required) that Speier's polling showed her with a healthy lead over Lantos:
Democratic pollster Jim Moore surveyed 350 likely Democratic primary voters for Speier Oct. 30 through Nov. 1 and found that Speier led Lantos 57 percent to 27 percent in a hypothetical matchup. The poll, with an error margin of 5.3 points, also showed Speier to have a favorable/unfavorable rating of 75 percent to 7 percent. Lantos’ numbers in that category were 55 percent to 26 percent.
At that point, Lantos's spokesperson said that he fully intended to defend his seat, and with his $1.4 million cash on hand, this would have made for a very exciting primary race. Those poll numbers might have been a consideration in Lantos's decision, but given his age, 79, I suspect the daunting prospect of the treatments he is going to have to undergo were definitely a factor.
Now that Lantos and his money are out, we can probably expect to see more candidates lining up for this primary. As juls points out at Calitics, Bay area House seats don't open up very often. This is probably the most progressive district in the country, and a Democratic seat that's this safe will be attractive to more than a few ambitious Dems.