The Republic | azcentral Thu Feb 27, 2014 5:02 PM

U.S. Rep. Ed Pastor, D-Ariz., the first Hispanic from Arizona elected to Congress and the senior member of the state’s House delegation, announced Thursday that he will retire after completing 23 years in Washington.

After 23 years in Congress serving the people of AZ, I have decided not to seek re-election this year. It has been an honor. Thank you — Pastor For Arizona (@PastorForAZ) February 27, 2014

The race for his safe Democratic seat is expected to become a free-for-all, drawing a host of candidates who have been preparing for his retirement for years. Minutes after Pastor’s announcement, state Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Phoenix, announced on Twitter he would enter the race.

I am in for Congress. — Ruben Gallego (@RubenGallego) February 27, 2014

Maricopa County Supervisor Mary Rose Wilcox announced her candidacy on Thursday as well, telling the Republic should would resign the county seat she's held since 1992. Democratic Rep. Steve Gallardo also told members of the media he was officially a candidate, though he let them do the talking for him on Twitter, by simply retweeted their tweets.

.@Steve_Gallardo said he'll run for retiring U.S. Rep. Ed Pastor's seat. "I'm going for it!" — Ben Giles (@ben_giles) February 27, 2014

The 7th Congressional District encompasses much of south and central Phoenix, including the Arizona Capitol, Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport and Phoenix City Hal. It also stretches into the communities of Glendale Guadalupe and Tolleson.

Alfredo Gutierrez, a former state lawmaker who grew up with Pastor in the eastern Arizona mining town of Miami, said he believes there is a strong likelihood that Pastor's Congressional District 7 will be represented by a Latino candidate.

According to Pastor's Congressional website, the district is 65.9 percent Hispanic.

Pastor, 70, the son of a miner from a small town in eastern Arizona and the first in his family to graduate from college, has represented parts of Phoenix and the West Valley in Congress for more than two decades.

Pastor is known for bringing earmarks back to his district and helping constituents, many of whom were low-income and Hispanic, with issues such as immigration and social services. A pedestrian bridge spanning McDowell Road near 35th Avenue was renamed after him in 2012, in honor of the work he put in to secure federal funding for the project.

Pastor began his career as a high-school chemistry teacher, moved into non-profit work, earned a law degree and then joined former Arizona Gov. Raul Castro’s staff enforcing workers’ rights under the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

In 1976, he was elected to the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, where he served three terms. He won his race for Congress in 1991, replacing retiring Congressman Morris “Mo” Udall, and was re-elected handily in every race afterward until his retirement this year.

Pastor was criticized after The Arizona Republic revealed in 2007 that he had steered millions in federal dollars to a scholarship program for at-risk high-school students headed by his daughter.

He also took heat when the New York Times showed in 2012 that in his two decades in office, he had gone from having a middle-class net worth to becoming a millionaire, joining nearly half the members of Congress who are millionaires.

"I’ve been in public office for 39 years and it’s been a pleasure to serve the people of Arizona," Pastor said in a written statement. "After 23 years in Congress, I feel it’s time for me to seek out a new endeavor. It’s been a great honor, a great experience and a great joy for me to serve in Congress. I think it’s time for me to do something else."

Gutierrez said that, as a Congressman, Pastor was a powerful member of the House Appropriations Committee. He added that Pastor also was a strong supporter of immigration reform, though he has been criticized by some Latinos for not taking a more vocal stance on such issues. Gutierrez cited Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s immigration sweeps and persuading President Barack Obama to suspend deportations until Congress passes an immigration reform bill as examples.

“He’s supportive” of those issues, Gutierrez said, but “not outspoken.”

Shortly after Pastor made his announcement, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi issued a statement praising Pastor and his work in Congress.

"Congressman Ed Pastor is a trailblazer who has dedicated his life to serving the families of Arizona," Pelosi said. "Throughout his four decades in public service and his 12 terms in Congress, Ed Pastor never forgot his roots, and always worked to build a brighter future for the children of our nation, championing key investments in education, infrastructure, and small businesses."

Pelosi added: "His insight and passion will be missed by friends and colleagues on both sides of the aisle, and we wish him, his wife Verma, and the rest of his beautiful family all the best in their next steps."

President Barack Obama also issued this statement: "The first in his family to graduate from college, and the first Hispanic Congressman ever elected from Arizona, Ed Pastor has spent his life fighting to give every American the same chance to work hard and get ahead that this country gave him. Ed has devoted his 23 years in Congress to helping hardworking families, fighting to fix our broken immigration system, and guaranteeing access to quality, affordable health care for all.

"As one of the most senior members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, Ed also has served as a mentor and role model to young Latinos and Latinas throughout Arizona and our country, and his leadership will be missed. Michelle and I thank Congressman Pastor for his service, and we wish him, his wife Verma, and their children and grandchildren the very best in the future."

In an interview with The Arizona Republic, Pastor recalled a conversation he had with the late long-serving Rep. Sidney Yates, D-Ill., who gave him the advice to either leave Congress while he was young enough to do something else or “stay and go out on a gurney.” His thinking about retirement further crystallized, he said, recently while watching late-night comedian Jay Leno’s final appearance on NBC’s “The Tonight Show.”

“Any politician wants to get re-elected, and I’ve done it, what, 11 times,” Pastor told The Republic. “For me, I figure I’ll be 71 years old and it will be 23 years (in Congress) in October. There’s another chapter in my life I want to do, so I figure I better do it now.”

Pastor said he doesn’t expect to pursue other political office, but may try to teach at a community college or help non-profit organizations. Hoping to take a cue from U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., Pastor wants to use his leftover campaign war-chest money — more than $1 million — to start some sort of organization to help people with their education. McCain used some money left over from his 2008 presidential run in order to start the McCain Institute for International Leadership at Arizona State University.

Pastor ran for re-election one final time in 2012 to “solidify” his newly redrawn district, he said. The timing of his announcement in late February was to give potential replacements enough time to organize their campaigns. Pastor doesn’t plan to anoint a possible successor.

Looking back, Pastor named several projects that he was able to help secure federal funding for, including Maricopa County’s light-rail line and the expansion and improvement of Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. He also said he is proud of the work he has done to help people become citizens and stopping deportations, as well as other constituent-services work.

“I don’t know if there’s one great accomplishment. I don’t know if one is greater than another,” Pastor said. “But the reputation I am leaving with, I think, is when people needed something, they called on me and the probability was that we were able to help them.”

Pastor held a news conference to discuss his retirement Thursday afternoon at ASU’s downtown campus, where he maintains an office. Surrounded by about a dozen journalists in the Cronkite building, Pastor seemed at ease with his decision as he answered questions in both English and Spanish.

He said it was not the partisan divide in today’s Congress – cited by several of his colleagues who are also retiring- that influenced his decision, but a simple desire to try something new. His next venture, Pastor said, is to be a school crossing guard.

Pastor mentioned that some of his colleagues, including Rep. Raul Grijalva, called him in surprise when they learned of his decision earlier in the day.

Asked about the most memorable moment in his political career, Pastor spoke about when he learned that he would be Arizona’s first Latino Congressman. He said the hardest part about retiring is leaving his staff behind.

Although Pastor admitted he is disappointed he could not fulfill all his goal of helping to pass immigration reform, he said he is optimistic there could be a compromise on the issue in the future.

Pastor said he is going to continue fighting for more funding to expand the Valley’s light rail system until his term ends.

Republic reporters Michelle Ye Hee Lee, Dan Nowicki and J.T. Reid contributed to this article.