One of Democrats' longest-serving House members is retiring

• Nadler has been a top target for those trying to take down older incumbents: He was pushed out as House Judiciary Committee ranking member last year and faced a primary challenge from 26-year-old Liam Elkind.
• Nadler's announcement is sure to lead to a crowded field of Democrats seeking to replace him in his solidly Democratic, Manhattan-based seat.

Driving the news: Nadler said in an interview with the New York Times, published Monday, that the furor leading up to former President Biden's withdrawal from the 2024 election "really said something about the necessity for generational change in the party."

• "I think I want to respect that," he said in the interview that was conducted last week, adding that a more youthful replacement "can maybe do better, can maybe help us more."
• He acknowledged a need for some of his older colleagues to step aside as well, saying: "A certain amount of change is very helpful, especially when we face the challenge of Trump and his incipient fascism."

Zoom out: Nadler was first elected to Congress in 1992, making him the 10th most senior member of the House of Representatives and the eighth most senior Democrat.

• In addition to being the dean of the New York congressional delegation, Nadler is also the longest serving Jewish member of Congress and is the co-chair of the Congressional Jewish Caucus.

• He told Axios in May he planned to seek reelection next year because "there's still a lot of things I want to do that have to be done."

By the numbers: Nadler is one of four House Democrats retiring without plans to run for another office, joining Reps. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.), 81, Dwight Evans (D-Pa.), 70, and Danny Davis (D-Ill.), 83.

• Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) had planned to retire after announcing his departure as ranking member of the House Oversight Committee, but he died of esophageal cancer in May at the age of 75.

Flashback: Rep. Jerry Nadler draws a 26-year-old primary challenger