Barbara Boxer to Retire as Senator from California

Updated: January 8, 2015 1:55 PM [ET] | Originally published: January 8, 2015 11:48 AM EST;

Longtime California Sen. Barbara Boxer announced Thursday that she won’t run for reelection in 2016, setting the stage for one of the most expensive Senate races in the nation.

In a video posted on YouTube, Boxer, a Democrat who has been fielding rumors of her retirement for months, announced she would not seek a fifth term in the Senate. “I want to come home,” she told her grandson in the video. “I want to come home to the state that I love so much, California.”

“I am never going to retire,” she said. “The work is too important. But I will not be running for the Senate in 2016.”

Her announcement sets up a scramble in California politics, where the state’s “jungle primary” pits the top two primary finishers against each other in a general election regardless of party. Democrats already being mentioned for the seat include Attorney General Kamala Harris, Lt. Governor Gavin Newsom, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and billionaire environmentalist Tom Steyer. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti ruled himself out of contention hours after Boxer’s announcement:

Garcetti: "I love my job and I love my city and I am committed to the work here. I will not run for Sen. Boxer's seat."
— Seema (@LATSeema) January 8, 2015

Boxer’s campaign committee raised just $342,387 from Jan. 1, 2013 to Sept. 30, 2014, according to Federal Election Commission records, a stunningly small figure for one of the most senior Democrats in the Senate from one of the wealthiest states. Before Republicans regained control of the Senate this week, Boxer was the chair of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works.

In 2010, Boxer defeated former Hewlett-Packard executive Carly Fiorina in the state by a margin of 10 percentage points.

Photos: Meet the People Who Might Try to Replace Barbara Boxer

Annual MLK Day Parade Marches Through Los Angeles — Eric Garcetti is the mayor of Los Angeles. He’s the city’s first elected Jewish mayor and the youngest in over 100 years.David McNew—Getty Images

Senate Holds Hearing On U.S. Credit Market Crisis — Neel Kashkari ran unsuccessfully as a Republican in the 2014 California gubernatorial election. As Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Financial Stability from 2008 to 2009, he oversaw the country’s response to the 2008 financial crisis.Joshua Roberts—Getty Images

Key Speakers At The Bloomberg Washington Economy Summit — Carly Fiorina is the former CEO of Hewlitt-Packard and ran unsuccessfully for a Republican Senate seat from California in 2010.Andrew Harrer—Bloomberg/Getty Images

2014 Variety Power Of Women Presented By Lifetime - Show — Kamala Harris is the current attorney general of California. Jason Merritt—Getty Images

2014 Carousel of Hope Ball Presented by Mercedes-Benz - Red Carpet — Antonio Villaraigosa was the mayor of Los Angeles before Garcetti, serving from 2005 to 2013.Michael Buckner—Getty Images

Sheryl Sandberg - book presentation — Sheryl Sandberg is the Chief Operating Officer of Facebook and the author of "Lean In: Women, Work and the Will to Lead."Britta Pedersen—AP

California State Controller John Chiang Interview — John Chiang is the California State Controller.David Paul—Bloomberg/Getty Images

Bobby Shriver Declares for Commissioner — A member of the Kennedy family, Bobby Shriver is a businessman and former Santa Monica City Council member who just lost a bid for an open seat on the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.David Hume Kennerly—Getty Images

Alex Padilla was a California state senator from 2006 to 2014.Rich Pedroncelli—AP

Longtime California Senator to Retire from Congress

Photos: Meet the People Who Might Try to Replace Barbara Boxer

More Must-Reads from TIME