Longtime Rep. Nadler drops bid to remain top Democrat on Judiciary panel after challenge

WASHINGTON — Longtime Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., said Wednesday he was dropping his bid to remain the top Democrat on the powerful Judiciary Committee for the next two years and endorsed Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., who announced just two days ago he would challenge Nadler for the coveted job.

In a letter to Democratic colleagues, Nadler, 77, endorsed Raskin, 61, for the role, which will be critical in providing congressional oversight of the FBI and Justice Department under the incoming Trump administration.

“As our country faces the return of Donald Trump, and the renewed threats to our democracy and our way of life that he represents, I am very confident that Jamie would ably lead the Judiciary Committee as we confront this growing danger,” Nadler wrote in the letter. “Therefore, I have decided not to run for Ranking Member of the Judiciary Committee in the 119th Congress.”

Nadler has held the top job on the Judiciary panel since 2019 and has served in Congress since 1992. He has had some health scares in recent years but was easily re-elected in November.

Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., had challenged Nadler for the Judiciary post.Demetrius Freeman / The Washington Post via Getty Images file

“Although I will not be Ranking Member, I will still be an active member of the Committee, and I am eager to work alongside its new leadership in the battle to protect our most vulnerable communities and our most precious democratic ideals,” Nadler said.

The New York Times was first to report Nadler had dropped out of the race.