Wash. Rep. Baird says he will not seek re-election

Democratic Rep. Brian Baird said Wednesday he will not seek re-election next year so he can spend more time with his family and pursue other ways to serve.

The six-term congressman who represents southwest Washington said the job has been the highest honor and greatest responsibility of his life.

Baird, 53, of Vancouver, serves on the House science and transportation committees. While his 3rd District seat is considered competitive, he easily won re-election in 2008 and was not considered in jeopardy this cycle.

"I find it is increasingly difficult to spend the time I need with my family and at the same time do the job that needs to be done," Baird, the father of 4-year-old twin boys, told The Associated Press late Wednesday.

He scoffed at the idea that politics played a role.

"I am quite confident I would win re-election," Baird said.

"Look, I've been at this 14 years," he said, noting that he began his first, unsuccessful run for Congress in late 1995. Baird narrowly lost the 1996 election to Republican Linda Smith but won the seat two years later. He was re-elected last year with 64 percent of the vote.

Baird said he is proud of his record but added, "This is right time for my family, and I will find a new way to serve the country in the future."

Before his surprise announcement, Baird had three Republican challengers, all political unknowns: David B. Castillo, David William Hedrick and Jon David Russell. Castillo has raised the most money, nearly $54,000.

State GOP Chairman Luke Esser said Baird "saw the writing on the wall: 2010 is going to be a very rough year for Democrats." Esser accused Baird of helping House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and President Barack Obama "run the economy into the ground."

Baird is known in Congress as a strong advocate for a state sales tax deduction on federal tax returns. The move benefits Washington state residents, who pay no state income tax.

Rep. Pete Sessions of Texas, chairman of the House Republicans' campaign group, said Baird's retirement sends an alarming message to Democrats. Baird is the third swing-district Democrat to retire in as many weeks.

"It is clear that members of the majority are feeling the ground shaking beneath them. Facing an angry and frustrated electorate, Democrats are quickly realizing that it's time to throw in the towel," Sessions said.

As chairman of the House Science panel's Energy and Environment subcommittee, Baird is an expert on oceans and climate change. He lashed out at the news media last summer after what he called sensationalized coverage of taxpayer-funded trips to the Galapagos Islands and the South Pole.

Baird said coverage of the trips that cast them as junkets could jeopardize the ability of Congress to learn firsthand about issues such as climate change and ocean acidification.

He also drew attention in 2007, when he changed his previous opposition to a continued U.S. military presence in Iraq.

Instead, Baird said the United States should stay in Iraq as long as it takes to ensure stability to the war-torn country. It was a major turnaround for Baird, who voted against the Iraq war resolution in 2002 and previously supported a Democratic plan requiring then-President Bush to bring combat troops home from Iraq in 2008.

Baird was openly criticized at a town hall meeting in the district, and national anti-war activists sponsored TV and newspaper ads critical of his changed position. Even so, Baird easily won re-election last year.

Dwight Pelz, head of the state Democratic Party, said he was surprised by Baird's announcement.

"Brian's been a great congressman for the 3rd District," he said. "He's very intelligent and hardworking and he'll missed."

Several Democratic state lawmakers have already expressed interest in the seat. Sen. Craig Pridemore of Vancouver, and Reps. Brendan Williams of Olympia, Deb Wallace of Vancouver and Jim Moeller of Vancouver all said Wednesday that they were considering jumping into the race.

Associated Press Writer Rachel La Corte contributed to this report from Olympia, Wash.