WASHINGTON (TNND) \u2014 Florida Democratic Rep. Frederica Wilson announced Friday that she will not seek reelection after serving in Congress for 16 years.<\/p>\n
Wilson, 83, said at an event in her district that she has a lot of fight left, but the time had come to pass the torch, The Hill reported<\/a>. <\/p>\n \u201cThis has been a journey, but it\u2019s time, it\u2019s time,\u201d Wilson said. \u201cEven leather wears out.\u201d<\/p>\n Wilson noted that while she is leaving Congress, she does not plan to leave public service. She said that she intends to tour the U.S. to promote the 5,000 Role Models for Excellence, a program she founded decades ago that aims to empower minority students.<\/p>\n The congresswoman had initially dismissed suggestions that this would be her last term. However, Wilson had recently missed<\/a> weeks’ worth of congressional votes while recovering from an eye operation.<\/p>\n Wilson\u2019s absence affected at least one high-profile vote. A vote earlier this month that would have limited President Trump\u2019s war powers with Iran ended in a tie, and Wilson could have tipped the vote for Democrats.<\/p>\n During her first term in Congress, Wilson became prominent after the 2012 shooting death of Trayvon Martin, who was from her district.<\/p>\n