Rep. David N. Cicilline, D-R.I., announced Tuesday that he will resign from Congress this year to lead Rhode Island's largest philanthropic organization.

The 61-year-old, serving his seventh term, will leave office June 1 to become the chief executive and president of the Rhode Island Foundation, he said in a statement. With his departure, Cicilline, a member of the House Democratic leadership and a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the House Judiciary Committee, will shake up the state's politics and set off a special election to find a replacement for the 1st Congressional District, a heavily Democratic seat.

"Serving the people of Rhode Island's First Congressional District has been the honor of my lifetime," Cicilline said in a statement. "As President and CEO of one of the largest and oldest community foundations in the nation, I look forward to expanding on the work I have led for nearly thirty years in helping to improve the lives of all Rhode Islanders."

Cicilline had been the driving force in the House to rein in some of the business practices of the country's largest tech companies, writing antitrust legislation and leading a bipartisan investigation into the firms. He co-led the introduction of the Respect for Marriage Act, which grants federal protections to same-sex and interracial couples and was signed into law last year, and he was the lead sponsor of the Equality Act, which would add sexual orientation and gender identity to federally protected classes but stalled in the Senate in 2021.

"Congressman Cicilline is a tireless champion for the LGBTQI+ community. Our community has greatly benefited from his leadership, including his work as the lead sponsor of the Equality Act, and the victories he has secured on our behalf," Equality Caucus Chair Mark Pocan, D-Wis., said in a statement.

But Cicilline's climb in Democratic leadership ranks had hit a ceiling. Last year, he withdrew after briefly vying for the No. 4 post, secured by Rep. James E. Clyburn, D-S.C.

Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee (D) will set the date of the special election to fill the seat. Cicilline easily won reelection in November, defeating Republican Allen Waters, 64 percent to 36 percent, in a district that includes most of the city of Providence.

Republicans hold a narrow majority in the U.S. House, 222 seats to 212 for Democrats, with one vacancy. Virginians head to the polls Tuesday to fill the seat vacated by the death of Rep. A. Donald McEachin in November.

The Washington Post's Paul Kane contributed to this report.