David Obey- Chairman of House Appropriations to retire

The Washington Post reports:

House Appropriations Committee Chairman David Obey (D-Wisc.), a liberal lion first elected at the height of the Vietnam War in 1969, is set to announce Wednesday he will not seek re-election in November, according to a senior Democratic official. The move will deal a blow to Democratic chances of holding the northern Wisconsin seat.

Obey, 71, has called a meeting of his staff and issued a news release declaring a "major" announcement set for 1 p.m. on Capitol Hill. Obey, whose committee gavel gives him oversight of more than $1 trillion in annual federal spending, was facing his toughest re-election battle in years, as Ashland County District Attorney Sean Duffy (R) was running a promising campaign against him.

A good indication that Republicans should do very well in November.