73-year-old Senator Tom Harkin becomes the third Senate retiree in recent weeks, joining Republican Sen. Saxby Chambliss of Georgia and Democratic Sen. Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia. He told The Associated Press in an interview, “It’s just time to step aside,” and allow a new generation of Democrats to seek higher office.
The senator is an outspoken advocate on filibuster reform, having just addressed the Senate on the topic on the very morning of Harry Reid’s filibuster fiasco. Reid’s decision came as a complete surprise and disappointment to Harkin, and may well have been the straw that broke the camel’s back as far as the successive announcement of his departure.
A strong proponent of president’s gun control proposals, Harkin’s states, “As a hunter, I know that the recreational use and collection of guns is important to many Iowans and as this debate advances, I will work to protect the legitimate rights of law-abiding American gun owners. But we cannot continue down a path of unlimited access to any arms, including those capable of shooting hundreds of bullets in a very short time.”
Harkin is a leading liberal in the Senate, having served as a key salesman of the ObamaCare bill.
No doubt that Harkin’s soon-to-be empty seat could spark an open competition from both sides of the Houses in the Senate although much of the Senate discussion on the Democratic side will be focused on fourth-term Rep. Bruce Braley, who represents the northeastern part of the state.
