He’s the latest Democrat to jump from the sinking ship.

Rep. Brian Baird, a six-termer from Washington, announced his retirement earlier this evening. He becomes the third prominent Democrat to announce his retirement after 2010.

“The time has now come to pursue other options, other ways of serving. Hence, I am announcing today that I do not intend to seek reelection to Congress in 2010,” the six-term congressman said in a statement. “This is not an easy decision to be sure, but I believe it is the right decision at the right time.”

The Hill says three Democrats are retiring six others are leaving to pursue another office, in comparison to the 28 Democrats who were retiring in 1994 when Republicans retook Congress.

It’s still early. It’s early December and the primary campaigns haven’t even really heated up as of yet. I’m sure we’ll see quite a few additional retirements on the left.