Freshman Democratic Representative Eric Massa (NY) will reportedly announce on a 3pm conference call with reporters that he will not seek reelection. Current speculation is that the congressman, who was previously treated for non-Hodgkin lymphoma, may have a cancer recurrence.
UPDATE: Conflicting information coming through, with other sources claiming the reason for his departure is an ethics complaint against him for sexually harassing a male staffer.
The New York Daily News broke the story.
Massa is calling around the district to inform party leaders and supporters of his decision.
...
The former US Navy officer received a diagnosis of terminal cancer while serving as as the Special Assistant to the Supreme Allied Commander of NATO, General Wesley Clark, during the Bosnian conflict, according to the bio on his Web site. He returned to the US to undergo treatment, survived and is "completely cured."
CQ Politics cites a source close to Massa as reporting he "is leaving because of a reoccurrence of cancer."
Massa is a progressive Democrat representing a Republican-leaning district in Upstate New York. The district was previously represented by Republican Randy Kuhl. Massa came close to unseating Kuhl in 2006, when he fell short by just 6,000 votes. In their 2008 rematch, Massa defeated Kuhl by 5,000 votes.
For the 2010 cycle, Massa has been on the DCCC's watchlist and is being targeted heavily by the Republicans, who have recruited Tom Reed, the mayor of Corning.
On health care reform, Massa, like Dennis Kucinich, voted against the House bill citing both its cost and his support for single-payer as reasons for his opposition. He has not yet indicated how he will vote on the Senate health care bill or on a reconciliation fix, although many observers have speculated that, unlike Kucinich, he may switch if his vote is decisive.
UPDATE: As noted downthread, Politico is reporting that an ethics complaint has been filed against Massa for sexually harassing a male staffer.
The NYDN article excerpted above did indicate that other rumors were swirling, but their source denied them.
The source said he assumed that Massa's move is "health related," but said the congressman also gave him a rather nebulous warning that he would be "hearing things that aren't true."
Sources close to the congressman say there has been talk of an ethics investigation, but a staffer in Massa's district office contacted yesterday insisted he had no knowledge of that.
Massa is married with two grown children.
UPDATE #2: Okay, now ABC News is reporting that Massa will resign today, after his press conference. Obviously, I wish him the best if his resignation is health-related. But this will be a tough seat to hold, especially in a special election. And another Republican special election win will contribute to the narrative of "Dems in disarray."
Ugh.
UPDATE #3: According to The Hill, Massa tells reporters that he is resigning because of "cancer." He says he had a third major cancer recurrence scare in December. The article is unclear as to whether there IS a recurrence right now or if there was simply a scare.
Massa is also denying allegations of sexual harassment, admitting only to using "salty language."
He also does NOT appear to be resigning his seat, but will simply not run for reelection.