WASHINGTON — Reports indicate that Maryland Representative Steny Hoyer will step down at the conclusion of his current term. 

Hoyer, who has served in the House of Representatives longer than most, shared with the Washington Post that his decision was made during the holiday season. 

“I did not want to be one of those members who clearly stayed, outstayed his or her ability to do the job,” he expressed to the publication. 

It is anticipated that Hoyer, aged 86, will officially declare his retirement on the House floor on Thursday, January 8. 

He has been the representative for Maryland’s Fifth District since 1981, marking a distinguished career in the U.S. House of Representatives. 

The decision comes as some fellow Democrats face primaries from younger candidates or are doing the same as him and deciding not to run again.

His political career spans decades and he worked his way to become the second-ranking House Democrat under Speaker Nancy Pelosi, according to Politico. 

Hoyer began his political career in 1962 as a member of Sen. Daniel Brewster. He and now Speaker Nancy Pelosi worked on the same staff. 

He won a seat in the Maryland State Senate in 1966 and became the youngest president of the Maryland State Senate in 1975. 

He also served on the State Board of Higher Education, Board of Regents of the University System of Maryland and the United States Naval Academy Board of Visitors. He is currently part of the St. Mary’s College Board of Trustees. 

The news of his retirement comes months after Pelosi, the 85-year-old from California, announced her retirement and a year after Rep. Jim Clyburn, 85-year-old from South Carolina, stepped down.