On Monday morning, veteran Republican Rep. Pete King announced he would not seek a 15th term next year, opening up yet another vulnerable House seat the GOP will have to scramble to defend. King's career began in local politics over 40 years ago when he won a seat on the Hempstead Town Council—and the backing of what was then the indomitable Nassau County Republican Party machine, which would play a critical role throughout his tenure in public office. King went on to win a close election to the House in 1992, flipping a seat that Democratic Rep. Robert Mrazek had left open to pursue a bid against GOP Sen. Al D'Amato. (Mrazek's campaign ultimately collapsed as a result of the House banking scandal.)
During his long tenure, King, 75, only occasionally faced competitive challengers despite representing a suburban district that Democratic candidates for president usually carried. He accomplished this act of political levitation despite compiling a very conservative record by carving out a reputation as a security-obsessed loudmouth who knew when to vocally break with his party and emphasize his support for local interests.
Only once did he win reelection by less than double digits: last year, when he held off activist Liuba Grechen Shirley by just a 53-47 spread, despite the fact that Shirley had attracted little outside support from Democrats. That tight result (and perhaps the demise of the Nassau machine) prompted speculation that King might retire, a possibility the congressman did not rule out two months ago, even though he said at the time, "Right now, I fully intend to run for re-election."
Now Republicans will have to find someone new to hold King's district, which represents fertile territory for Democrats. While this seat, which takes in a swath of Long Island's South Shore to the east of New York City, swung to Donald Trump by a 53-44 margin after backing Barack Obama 52-47, it snapped back in the 2018 midterms, giving Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo a 51-47 win. And while educational attainment in New York's 2nd is roughly in the middle of the pack, the district has one of the highest average incomes in the nation, suggesting it could still move further away from the Trump-era GOP.
The only notable Democrat who'd sought to challenge King this cycle before he announced his departure was Babylon Town Councilor Jackie Gordon, an Afghanistan veteran and Jamaican immigrant, though Shirley had also said in April that she was considering a rematch. Gordon's fundraising has been unspectacular so far, however, and any race for a competitive open seat in the New York media market is bound to get expensive fast.
Of course, as is often the case when a tough incumbent finally retires, we're likely to see new candidates from the opposing party emerge, and there's also no shortage of Republicans who might run as well. So stay tuned, because this race is going to attract lots of attention from both sides.