BREAKING: Reports: Sen. Barbara Mikulski, longest-serving woman in Congress, to retire

Maryland Democratic Sen. Barbara Mikulski, the longest-serving woman in congressional history, will not seek re-election in 2016, according to the Associated Press and The Washington Post. First elected in 1986, she was the first woman to chair the Senate Appropriations Committee, a position she lost when Republicans took control of the chamber following the 2014 elections. Before her election to the Senate, Mikulski served five terms in the House. FOR MORE ON THIS STORY, GO TO:   USATODAY.COM