Senator Jay Rockefeller Will Not Seek Reelection Democratic Sen. Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia will announce his plans today to retire and not seek reelection, aides confirm to ABC News. The longtime senator, 75, will make his announcement at 11 a.m. today in Charleston, W. Va., joined by family and staff. In an interview with the AP ahead of his announcement this morning the senator said he wishes to bring more "balance" to his life. "I've gotten way out of whack in terms of the time I should spend with my wife and my children and my grandchildren," Rockefeller told the AP.