Frank says his new district boundaries contributed to his decision to retire . Frank , a Democrat , was first elected to the House from Massachusetts in 1980 . A prominent liberal , he co-authored the Dodd-Frank financial reform bill . As part of Massachusetts ' recently concluded redistricting process , Frank 's 4th Congressional District will lose the heavily Democratic blue-collar port city of New Bedford while gaining several smaller , more conservative towns . He is retiring after two terms because of term limits.
Frank says his new district boundaries contributed to his decision to retire . Frank , a Democrat , was first elected to the House from Massachusetts in 1980 . A prominent liberal , he co-authored the Dodd-Frank financial reform bill . He is retiring after two terms because of term limits.