US Rep. Ted Deutch won't seek re-election for Florida's 22nd congressional district

BOCA RATON, Fla. — U.S. Rep. Ted Deutch, D-Fla., announced Monday he will not seek re-election representing the state's 22nd congressional district.

Deutch has served in the House since 2010 for the district that includes northern Broward County and southern Palm Beach County.

"After serving the public for more than 15 years, I have decided I will not seek re-election this November. Public service was instilled in me by my father who earned a Purple Heart in the Battle of the Bulge, and it has been a tremendous privilege to serve the people of Palm Beach and Broward Counties in Congress since 2010," Deutch said. "I am incredibly grateful to my constituents for their support and friendship."

He has been the chair of the House Committee on Ethics, Chair of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Middle East, North Africa, and Global Counterterrorism and a senior member of the House Judiciary Committee.

During his time in office, Deutch has been a proponent for gun control, advocating that the Second Amendment has limits.

"In my seven terms in Congress, I have worked hard and tried to find common ground. I'm proud of my work to make our communities safer from gun violence, strengthen Social Security and protect our most vulnerable seniors, and ensure Holocaust survivors can live in dignity," Deutch said.

The congressman said the Parkland shooting four years ago had a deep impact on his career.

"Our community was profoundly changed on February 14, 2018. Seventeen students and teachers of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School were killed that day, and I have tried every day since to be there for their families and to help them honor the memories of their loved ones in all the ways they are working to make our schools and community safer," Deutch said. "I have also tried to support the survivors in any way I can, though it is their powerful voices that have helped create desperately needed change. The Parkland families and student survivors inspire me every day."

Deutch said he has accepted an offer to serve as the next chief executive officer of the American Jewish Committee.

"I will be forever grateful for the opportunity you have given me to serve our community and to serve our country. I have been touched and inspired by so many people I have been privileged to meet. I have seen the good that can be accomplished when we work together, and I am forever hopeful about our future. Serving as your representative has been the greatest honor of my life," Deutch said.

American Jewish Committee said that Deutch was unanimously selected by the executive council of the AJC after an extensive national search.

Deutch will succeed David Harris, who has led the AJC since 1990.