Congressman Tom Lantos (D-CA), the only Holocaust survivor to ever serve in Congress, has died at age 80. Lantos had announced his retirement in early January, due to a diagnosis of esophageal cancer.

Born in Hungary, Lantos spent his teen years in the anti-Nazi resistance after escaping from a labor camp, then emigrated to the United States in 1947. He was elected to Congress in a close win over a Republican incumbent in 1980, and after the 2006 Democratic victories he became the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. He was originally in favor of the Iraq War, but later turned strongly against it.

Rep. Tom Lantos (D-CA), the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee as well as the only Holocaust survivor to ever serve in Congress, has announced that he is retiring. The 79-year old Lantos cited a serious health problem as the cause of his announcement — he has been diagnosed with cancer of the esophagus.

"It is only in the United States that a penniless survivor of the Holocaust and a fighter in the anti-Nazi underground could have received an education, raised a family, and had the privilege of serving the last three decades of his life as a member of Congress," Lantos said in a press release. "I will never be able to express fully my profoundly felt gratitude to this great country."

Congressman Tom Lantos (D-CA) might be on the verge of facing a really tough primary challenge. Former state Sen. Jackie Speier claims she has an internal poll that shows her beating Lantos in the primary by a 57%-27% margin. Speier has some name recognition built up after she ran for Lt. Governor in 2006, narrowly losing the Democratic primary, but she has not yet officially announced a campaign against Lantos.

Speier's pollster also told Roll Call that her poll did not include any push questions, but simply asked, "Who would you most likely support in the Democratic party primary for United States Congress, if the choice was..." and then the two candidates' names given in rotation.