Update:
U.S. Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., announced Friday that he will retire in 2014 and not seek reelection to the U.S. Senate.
Rockefeller has spent nearly 50 years of public service in West Virginia. He made the announcement in from of the Culture Center in Charleston.
"As I approach 50 years of public service in West Virginia, I've decided that 2014 will be the right moment for me to find new ways to fight for the causes I believe in and to spend more time with my incredible family," said Rockefeller.
Rockefeller announced that during his last 2 years in the Senate, and beyond his retirement, he will continue to work on behalf of West Virginians.
"For the next two years in the Senate, and well beyond, I will continue working tirelessly on behalf of all West Virginians," said Rockefeller. "Championing those most in need has been my life's calling, and I will never stop fighting to make a difference for the people who mean so much to me."
To read more on Rockefeller's announcement, click here.
Original Story:
U.S. Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., will not seek a sixth term representing West Virginia.
The 75-year-old Democrat has recently sparred with the state's mining industry over the future of coal, and he has supported President Barack Obama, who is deeply unpopular in West Virginia.
Rockefeller says that public service has dominated his life for a half-century.
He said he plans to retire in 2014 to devote more time to his family and vowed to remain a West Virginian.
Friday's announcement is sure to set off a scramble for the seat.
Congresswoman Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., has already said she will seek it in 2014.
Rockefeller arrived in the state as an anti-poverty worker in 1964.
His subsequent political career has also included two terms as governor.
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