Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY), the former House Judiciary Committee chairman who helped lead the impeachments of then-former President Donald Trump, announced on Monday that he will not seek reelection in 2026, ending a 34-year tenure that placed him at the center of Democratic politics in New York and on the national stage.
Rep. Jerry Nadler, 78, confirmed that he will retire at the close of his current term, saying his decision was shaped by growing calls for generational change within the Democratic Party. “Watching the Biden thing really said something about the necessity for generational change in the party, and I think I want to respect that,” he told the New York Times. Nadler added that a younger successor “can maybe do better, can maybe help us more,” though he declined to name a preferred replacement. Allies, however, suggested that Assemblyman Micah Lasher, a longtime aide, may seek the seat.
Nadler’s departure will open a rare Democratic primary contest in Manhattan, where his district stretches from Union Square through Central Park and includes major corporate headquarters, cultural landmarks, and some of the wealthiest neighborhoods in the country. He acknowledged that numerous allies might run, but indicated he would not be directly involved in picking a successor.
Nadler became a nationally recognized figure during Trump’s presidency, steering the first impeachment articles through the Judiciary Committee in 2019. His clashes with Trump dated back to the 1980s, when they sparred over development projects in Manhattan. Trump once described him as “one of the most egregious hacks in contemporary politics.”
Throughout his career, Nadler has drawn sharp opposition over his positions on immigration and law enforcement. In June 2025, he accused U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers of “hiding misbehavior” by wearing masks and concealing their identities, prompting the Department of Homeland Security to call his remarks “despicable.” DHS emphasized that ICE officers face increasing violence during enforcement, including a 500-percent rise in assaults. Republicans in Congress condemned Nadler’s accusations, and DHS defended its officers’ use of masks as a measure to protect themselves from criminal retaliation.
Nadler also clashed with federal officers earlier that summer, when Department of Homeland Security personnel entered his Manhattan office during immigration enforcement operations and briefly handcuffed an aide. Nadler insisted DHS had “no right” to enter his office without a warrant and maintained the agency was “lying” about the incident. Video of the confrontation showed officers accusing staff of “harboring rioters,” while Nadler accused the Trump administration of intimidation tactics. The aide was released without charges, but the episode fueled weeks of disputes between Nadler and DHS.
Nadler has long defended expansive immigration policies, calling migrants the “lifeblood of this country” during a 2024 hearing in which he rejected arguments that immigration strains public services. He argued that America’s low birth rate requires increased immigration, a position Mark Krikorian of the Center for Immigration Studies described as dismissive of the challenges facing American families.
Nadler authored a 2021 bill to expand the Supreme Court by four justices, a measure Republicans labeled court-packing, while later opposing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s judicial reforms. In 2018, Nadler was recorded discussing Democratic plans to impeach Justice Brett Kavanaugh and investigate Trump if Democrats retook the House, remarks that drew scrutiny after becoming public. In 1998, he charged Republicans with running a “lynch mob” against President Bill Clinton during impeachment proceedings, despite later condemning Trump for using similar language.
Nadler was also among Democrats who cheered the FBI’s 2022 raid on Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence, responding on social media with a one-word message: “Good!” He later served as a manager in Trump’s impeachment trial, claiming the Democrats’ case was “proven beyond any doubt at all.”
Beyond congressional clashes, Nadler faced criticism at home. In 2023, the father of an antisemitic hate-crime victim called him out at a House Judiciary Committee field hearing in New York, accusing Nadler and Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) of failing to condemn attacks against Jews in the city.
That same year, Nadler also endorsed requiring two-year-olds to wear masks during the pandemic, calling it “child abuse” not to do so, remarks that drew bipartisan pushback.
He has remained a consistent ally of Democratic leadership, voting with Speaker Nancy Pelosi 99 percent of the time, according to earlier reports, though he occasionally pursued independent stances. He endorsed progressive figures in New York, such as Zohran Mamdani for mayor, and positioned himself as both pro-Israel and critical of its government. In his final interviews, Nadler acknowledged that the war in Gaza had shaken his position, saying Israel under Prime Minister Netanyahu was committing war crimes and mass killings, though he maintained support for Israel’s missile defense.
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