Rep. Roukema Retiring After Record House Run
Rep. Marge Roukema (R-N.J.), the longest-serving woman in Congress, said she will retire after her term ends next year.
Roukema, 72, of Ridgewood, was first elected to Congress in 1980. She said she made the decision not to run for a 12th term during the summer but delayed her announcement until the congressional redistricting process ended, and because of the Sept. 11 attacks.
A leading moderate voice in her party, Roukema struggled at times with more conservative GOP members.
Her retirement creates an open seat in New Jersey’s Republican-leaning 5th Congressional District.
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