Sen. Jeffords Will Not Seek Reelection.

Sen. Jim Jeffords of Vermont, an independent who triggered one of the most dramatic upheavals in U.S. Senate history when he quit the GOP four years ago, announced Wednesday he would retire at the end of his term next year, citing his and his wife's health.

"In order to best represent my state of Vermont, my own conscience and principles that I have stood for my whole life, I will leave the Republican Party and become an independent," said Jeffords on May 24, 2001.

(4-20-05, The Washington Post.)