You don’t drop a sweet money making gig like being a congressperson unless the dollars are about to dry up. As a minority member in the House, you have virtually nothing to sell, you’ll have to live on that $175k/yr salary and whatever you can squeeze out of donors on the promise of maybe taking the House back. Better to leave, work as a lobbyist, or consultant.
Before you are defeated and your marketability as a lobbyist craters.
She’s only 56. She can’t say she’s retiring for family reasons because she’s not married.
More likely she witnessed the Democrat routing on Long Island this pass November and knows she’s done.