WASHINGTON — Democratic Rep. Julia Brownley announced Thursday that she wouldn’t seek an eighth term this year, opening up a deep-blue Southern California seat north of Los Angeles.

Brownley, 73, joins a wave of older Democrats opting to retire in 2026. They include former Speaker and fellow Californian Nancy Pelosi and Reps. Steny H. Hoyer of Maryland, Jerrold Nadler of New York, and Jan Schakowsky and Danny K. Davis of Illinois.

In a statement released Thursday, Brownley called her tenure in Congress “the honor of a lifetime” and pledged to continue serving her constituents in California’s 26th District.

“With another year remaining in my term, I will continue working every day to deliver results for our region, advance legislation that improves the lives and livelihoods of people in my district and across our country, and stand up for the values and priorities my constituents sent me here to defend,’’ she said.

Brownley’s decision drew praise from the president of Run for Something, which backs progressive candidates 40 and under. In a social media post, Amanda Litman, who has publicly called on Democrats over 70 to consider stepping aside, thanked the congresswoman for her leadership “and for knowing when it’s time to pass the torch.’’

Brownley began her political career as a member of the Santa Monica-Malibu school board, serving for 12 years before successfully running for the State Assembly in 2006.

She was first elected to the House in 2012 from what was then a swing district. But she’s comfortably won reelection for nearly a decade as the area shaded heavily blue during the Trump era.

The partisan leanings of the coastal 26th District, which includes the cities of Oxnard and Thousand Oaks, didn’t shift significantly under the new map California voters approved via a ballot measure last fall. The redrawn seat would have backed Kamala Harris by 15 points, according to calculations by Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales.

Unlike some long-serving colleagues, Brownley had not drawn a high-profile Democratic challenger. But the now-open seat is likely to spark interest from Democrats. Shortly after Brownley’s announcement, California State Assembly Member Jacqui Irwin filed paperwork for the seat with the Federal Election Commission. Irwin, the former mayor of Thousand Oaks, told Politico she was “the most obvious person to run for that seat.”

Under California election rules, all candidates will run on the same ballot during the June 2 primary, with the top two vote-getters, regardless of party, advancing to the general election.

A focus on veterans

In Congress, Brownley built her legislative portfolio on veterans’ issues, especially those affecting women.

A member of the Veterans’ Affairs Committee since her freshman term, she serves as top Democrat of its Health Subcommittee. In her fourth term, she introduced a legislative package aimed at expanding women’s health care access at VA facilities. Her bill was ultimately folded into a separate veterans care bill. Brownley also authored legislation that would increase breast cancer screening access for veterans. An identical bill in the Senate, carried by former Montana Sen. Jon Tester, was signed into law.

She criticized the Trump administration’s recent proposal to eliminate abortion care and counseling at veterans health clinics. The ban took effect in December.

“Veterans should be able to make personal decisions about their health without any interference from politicians,” Brownley said during a September news conference. “Their access to care should not shift with every administration.”

Brownley also serves on the Natural Resources and Transportation and Infrastructure committees and is a member of the center-left New Democrat Coalition.

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(Nick Eskow contributed to this report.)

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