After 30 years in Congress, Barney Frank is quitting, with no re-election plans for 2012. Now on his 16th term since joining the House of Representatives in 1981, the powerful and combative Democrat from the Massachusetts 4th District is packing it in. His main reason for not running is that due to his district being redrawn, Frank would actually have to convince voters that he is worthy of serving them. As it was, Frank had something of a real battle in 2010, forcing him to actually spend some of his campaign war-chest to fend off a Tea Party challenger. Barney still won by a wide margin, but a significantly smaller margin than previous elections. Facing nearly 400,000 new voters in 2012 with the baggage Barney Frank carries is just too much.
