State Rep. Paul Schmid of Westport says he will not seek re-election to an eighth term and will step away when the session concludes at the end of the year.
In a letter he posted to Facebook on Tuesday, Schmid thanked his family, colleagues, staff and the many employees who keep the State House running, calling out by name fellow members of the South Coast delegation.
“I will cherish the knowledge that I was, for a time, part of the longest-serving democratic body in the world,” Schmid wrote.
The 8th Bristol District that Schmid represents covers parts of Fall River, New Bedford, Acushnet, Freetown and all of Westport.
A beef farmer, Schmid co-chairs the Legislature’s Agriculture Committee, which top Democrats spun out as a standalone panel this term.
He was first elected in 2010 after topping a three-way Democratic primary. In the most recent cycle, Schmid won a seventh term with 53.5 percent of the vote over Republican challenger Evan Gendreau, who earned 46.4 percent of the vote.
State Sen. Marc Pacheco of Taunton, whose district includes several South Coast communities, also announced his retirement on Tuesday.