WASHINGTON — Sen. Barbara Mikulski, the longest serving woman in Congress, says she won't seek re-election to a sixth term.
The 78-year-old Maryland Democrat made the announcement Monday in Baltimore.
Mikulski is known as a tough, no-nonsense lawmaker who rose to the leadership of the powerful Appropriations Committee. She has two years left in her current term and says she hasn't written "the last chapter" in her career.
Her retirement is certain to set off a race among potential Senate candidates. These include Reps. Chris Van Hollen and Donna Edwards. Others include former Gov. Martin O'Malley, who is considering a bid for the Democratic presidential nomination, and former Gov. Bob Ehrlich, a Republican.
Mikulski became the longest-serving woman in the history of Congress in 2012.