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Rep. Ann Kuster (D-N.H.), chair of the influential New Democrat Coalition, will not seek reelection this year. Kuster, 67, was first elected to Congress in 2012 and has served six terms on the Hill. She said on Wednesday that she will retire at the end of this Congress. "I always said that I wouldn't be in Congress forever," Kuster told The Washington Post on Wednesday. "Most of my colleagues do not realize that, if I stayed another cycle, I [would turn] 70. They think — because of my haircut, or whatever — [that] I was younger. I'm not. So I'm super excited that there's a generation of leaders that is kind of untapped." Kuster, the daughter and great-granddaughter of New Hampshire Republican and independent lawmakers, said she's pleased with the work she's done in Congress over the last 12 years, especially the legislation she's been able to work on across the aisle. "I come from a very bipartisan background," she said. "My family were liberal Republicans back in the day, that doesn't exist anymore. … And so I knew about bringing people together, working across the aisle, and I'm super proud of that work." In a statement Wednesday, Kuster also noted that her role in Congress "has been many things — rewarding, frustrating, inspiring, and challenging. But, more than anything, it has been an honor." Kuster has led the centrist New Democrat Coalition in a thinly divided House, which gave the group more influence in the chamber. On Wednesday, she said she will continue chairing the coalition until the end of her term. While she didn't name whom she would like to see as her successor as leader of the group, she noted it is her hope that the next generation of New Democrats will continue guiding bipartisan legislation through the House. She cited the New Democrats' work during the debt ceiling crisis of last spring as evidence that the coalition of 99 Democrats has been successful in securing difficult bipartisan deals. "We've been the grown-ups in the room over and over," she said. "Like every time [Congress was] going to shut down the government, we've stepped up and said: 'No, no, New Dems are there.'" Kuster said she will spend the rest of her term shepherding bipartisan legislation through the House — notably, a bill to fund Ukraine's effort in the war against Russia. She said she spoke to Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) last week about an effort to bring the Ukraine bill back to the floor. "He said: 'Yes, yes, right after the break.' And I take him at his word," she said. While Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) has threatened to file a motion to vacate Johnson if he goes through with the effort to fund Ukraine, Kuster said New Democrats will stand by Johnson to avoid another chaotic speakership fight if he's willing to work across the aisle. "If he brings that bill to the floor, Ukraine aid, the aid to Israel, the humanitarian aid to Gaza, he will get over 300 votes," she said. "And if we don't vote for the motion to vacate, it doesn't go anywhere. [Greene] has a math problem." She added: "As long as there is somebody that will work with us in a fair, transparent and reliable way — we have to hold them accountable, obviously — that's the path forward." The congresswoman acknowledged that her district, New Hampshire's 2nd, is a competitive one, with about 30 percent registered Democrats, 30 percent registered Republicans and 40 percent registered independents. In 2022, she won reelection by a little more than 11 points. Her district — which includes the state capital, Concord, and its second-largest city, Nashua — has voted for Democratic candidates in the past six presidential elections, most recently supporting Joe Biden with 54 percent of the vote against then-President Donald Trump, who received 45 percent of the vote. Kuster said she's not nervous about Democrats' chances of holding on to the seat. "What I realized is, there's another candidate coming that can win this seat," she said, though she declined to identify the candidate. "I wanted to make sure that that happened, [so] that I can turn my energy and my time to winning back the House." Kuster said that she will spend the next eight months working to help Democrats get elected nationwide, and that she has already contacted the Biden campaign about supporting the president's reelection effort in New Hampshire. "This is just an existential crisis for our country, we are at a crossroads for democracy," she said. "Donald Trump is a threat to our democracy, and I want to do every single thing I can to win back the House and hold the White House for Democrats." During her time in Congress, Kuster has pushed for bipartisan legislation to address addiction and mental health, and, as a survivor of sexual assault, she founded a task force to work on policy that would reduce sexual violence and provide survivors with support. In the House, she was a member of the Veterans' Affairs Committee, where she helped shepherd legislation to protect veterans' small businesses. She also sat on the Agriculture Committee and is a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee. The congresswoman has also been open about her experience during the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. "What I think about every day is what would have happened to our democracy if a group of members of Congress were either killed or taken hostage," Kuster told WMUR9 days before the third anniversary of the attack. Kuster's retirement means 25 current House Democrats have so far announced their decision not to run for reelection, compared with 21 current Republicans. In a statement, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) said Kuster — the daughter and great-granddaughter of New Hampshire lawmakers — "has exemplified her family's generations-long legacy of service to the people of New Hampshire and our country." He added: "The common thread in Annie's rich Congressional record is her incredible ability to bring people together and build bipartisan bridges in order to solve problems. A classmate and true friend of mine, Annie has been a tremendous source of strength to me and countless others in the House Democratic Caucus family. She will be sorely missed in the next Congress." House Minority Whip Katherine Clark (D-Mass.), a close friend of Kuster's, said the congresswoman's work "will continue to reverberate in New Hampshire and across the country for generations to come." While Kuster said she's looking forward to staying active in Democratic politics by helping a new generation get elected to "get Congress functioning again," she said she also knew it was time to take a step back and enjoy retirement. "I still want to be involved, I still have plenty of energy," she said. But also, "I just want to be able to, you know, go skiing with my family."