Democratic U.S. Rep. David Price, the longest-serving member of North Carolina’s congressional delegation, announced Monday that he will not seek reelection in 2022.
Price, a tenured professor in the Sanford School of Public Policy, is currently serving his 17th term in the U.S. House of Representatives. He represents North Carolina’s 4th Congressional District, which includes all of Orange County, the southern part of Durham County and most of Wake County.
Price has served in the House for all but one term since 1987.
“I am announcing today that I will not seek re-election as representative for North Carolina’s Fourth Congressional District,” he wrote in a statement. “I do so with a profound sense of gratitude to the voters of the Fourth District; to the supporters who have backed me in 18 successive campaigns; and to my staff in Washington and the district, whose competence and dedication are responsible for the quality of representation and service I have been able to provide.”
Price wrote that while he is satisfied with what he accomplished during his years in the House, he knows that he "should not expect a complete sense of closure," given that he believes there is still much progress to be made.
Price attended Mars Hill College in western North Carolina before transferring to University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill on scholarship. He went on to earn a Bachelor of Divinity in 1964 and a doctoral degree in political science in 1969, both from Yale University.
His website states that as a former educator, he has always viewed education as “one of [his] highest priorities” in Congress. Price advocated for more federal investment in education and successfully introduced the Teaching Fellows legislation, which “encourages our nation's best and brightest students to become teachers.”
Price has also been a strong advocate for campaign and election reform, having introduced the “Stand By Your Ad” Act, which requires political candidates to appear in their ads and take responsibility for their ads’ contents. The act was included in the 2002 Bipartisan Campaign Finance Reform Act.
He has advocated for making home financing more available to low-income families, expediting transportation and construction around North Carolina, addressing global warming and investing in research, among other things.
Price was also part of the House Ethics Task Force at the beginning of the 110th Congress, which passed a variety of ethics reforms and established the independent Office of Congressional Ethics to hold political figures accountable for instances of misconduct.
Price is also an advocate for gun violence prevention, adequate funding for housing and community development and providing veterans with better support services.
He currently sits on the House Committee on Appropriations and House Committee on the Budget. He initiated and currently co-chairs the House Democracy Partnership, a panel that works with leaders of emerging democracies across the world.
Price is the vice chair of the House Democracy Reform Task Force and House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, as well as a co-chair of the Democratic Caucus Faith Working Group, National Service Caucus, Congressional Vision Caucus, Congressional Humanities Caucus and Moldova Caucus.
Price won numerous awards and honors during his time as a legislator, including being named a Lifetime Champion by the North Carolina Justice Center and receiving the Edward M. Kennedy National Service LIfetime Achievement Award from the Friends of National Service.
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Anna Zolotor is a Trinity senior and recruitment chair for The Chronicle's 118th volume. She was previously news editor for Volume 117.