House Foreign Affairs Chairman Tom Lantos (D) on Wednesday endorsed his former political nemesis, ex-state Sen. Jackie Speier (D), to succeed him in the San Francisco-area 12th district.

Speier was preparing to challenge Lantos in the June 3 Democratic primary — and the Congressman was prepared to run a vigorous race to hold onto his Democratic-leaning seat. But earlier this month, Lantos unexpectedly announced he would retire at the end of his term, citing the fact that he was diagnosed with cancer of the esophagus in December.

“Jackie Speier has been working on behalf of the people of [the] Peninsula and San Francisco for decades, and she is our best candidate for the United States Congress,” Lantos said in a statement.

Speier has no Democratic primary opponent at the moment.
— David M. Drucker