PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Longtime Oregon Senate President Peter Courtney announced his retirement from the legislative body on Wednesday.
Courtney made his announcement to his fellow Democrats in the Oregon Senate via text, his communications director confirmed to KOIN 6 News.
“Colleagues, I am not going to be running again for the Legislature. I will serve out the remainder of my term. It has been an honor and a privilege to have been allowed to serve locally on the Salem City Council and for all these years in the Oregon State Legislature. I hope I’ve helped,” he texted, according to Johnmartin Sherman-Lewis, Courtney’s spokesperson.
Courtney’s retirement was first reported by Oregon Public Broadcasting.
The Senate President, who is Oregon’s longest-serving legislator, recently joined Eye on Northwest Politics with Ken Boddie to talk about the state’s redistricting map after Republican lawmakers accused Democrats of gerrymandering.
When asked about whether retirement was in the future, the Salem resident did not indicate a decision in his response.
“I liken myself to a workhorse and plowing a field,” he said. “I can still plow that field, I just can’t do as fast.”
He’s not the only recent Oregon political titan to announce retirement. U.S. Congressman Peter DeFazio announced his intention to not seek re-election after serving Oregon’s 4th Congressional District for 36 years in December 2021.