John Dingell's Wife Favorite to Replace Him—Updated

Dingell replaced his father in a special election in 1955

Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.) will announce today that he is retiring, the 30-term congressman told the Detroit News, because, he tells the News, he doesn't "want people to say I stayed too long." Dingell is 88 and the longest serving lawmaker currently in Congress, and, as of last year, in U.S. history.

Check out Dingell's voting record, only through 1992, via Vote Smart. Dingell was a big supporter of Obamacare, and created a "guidebook" on the Affordable Care Act for his congressional district. Don't expect news from Dingell's House website on his impending retirement just yet. The "In the News" section hasn't been updated since 2012.

UPDATE: According to the Cook Political Report, Dingell's wife Debbie is the favorite to win in the first open MI-12 race since a special election in 1955 that followed the death of Dingell's father, who also represented the district.