Rep. Speier, survivor of 1978 Jonestown ambush, to retire

KIFI

Published November 16, 2021 9:04 AM

By BRIAN SLODYSKO
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Longtime California Rep. Jackie Speier is the latest congressional Democrat to announce retirement from Congress ahead of the 2022 midterm election cycle. The seven-term congresswoman from the San Francisco Bay Area said in a video message Tuesday that after nearly 40 years in public office at the local, state and federal level, it’s time to step aside. Speier was inspired to pursue a career in public service after she accompanied her boss, Rep. Leo J. Ryan, on a flight to Guyana in a disastrous 1978 attempt to rescue 900 followers of the cult leader Jim Jones. Ryan and four others were killed on an airstrip by Jones’ followers. Speier was shot five times.

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