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California鈥檚 junior senator, Barbara Boxer announced Thursday that she will not run for re-election in 2016, marking an end to her 30-year career in Washington.

Senator Boxer鈥檚 announcement led to a flurry of accolades for her role as an aggressively progressive voice in the US Senate 鈥� as well as some lighter observations about the 鈥渕ighty mite鈥� moving on.聽

At four feet, 11 inches, the diminutive four-term senator nonetheless became known for her 鈥渂ig voice.鈥� Boxer was known as a relentless champion of聽liberal issues such as gender equality and environmental protection. She was the first female senator to chair the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works.聽

This role came at the cost of other accomplishments, however, as her record on stand-alone legislation is 鈥渟parse,鈥� says David McCuan,聽a political science professor at Sonoma State University.聽Rather, he says, Boxer co-sponsored many pieces of legislation, choosing instead to focus her efforts on pushing cultural change.

鈥淭his tells us that ideology has always been very important to her, as she hoped to change the boys club atmosphere of the Senate,鈥� Professor McCuan says.聽

Boxer came to the Senate in 1992, after serving as a congresswoman during the Reagan administration. That was the so-called 鈥淵ear of the Woman,鈥� he points out.

鈥淭he insider game of changing the old boys debating club took a lot of work and continues to take a lot of work and this has been difficult for moving legislation forward,鈥� he adds.

This could mark the beginning of a tectonic shift in California鈥檚 leadership, says Barbara O鈥機onnor, director emeritus of the Institute for Study of Politics and Media at California State University, Sacramento. She notes that聽Boxer is actually younger than Dianne Feinstein, the senior senator from California.聽

鈥淲hat would make the race really interesting is if Dianne decides not to run, either,鈥� she says.

If the other icon of female leadership in California also bowed out, it could mark the beginning of an electoral free-for-all.

In any event, Boxer鈥檚 decision opens the 2016 race to a wide field of Democratic contenders. Former mayors Gavin Newsom and Antonio Villaraigosa have been mentioned, as has Hispanic congresswoman Loretta Sanchez. As for Republican possibilities, few interviewed believe the seat will turn red.

鈥淢ost of those who are interested are very liberal,鈥� points out Ms. O'Connor.

Boxer used a Youtube video to deliver her announcement, in the form of a faux interview conducted by her grandson, asking such questions as whether age or acrimony in the senate influenced her decision. In both cases, the answer was an emphatic no.

鈥淭his makes me sad,鈥� says San Francisco supervisor Scott Wiener, who notes that he will miss her progressive voice on the national scene.聽

However,聽Boxer said that her decision not to run is not a retirement, rather a move to come home to California and work from that base. This is, after all, a woman who always carried a small platform known as the 鈥淏arbara Box,鈥� to ensure that she would stand high enough to reach the microphone at public appearances. It is likely that she will continue to make her voice heard.

As she quipped in聽a homemade poem that concludes her video, 鈥淭he Senate is the place where I鈥檝e always made my case," she said. 鈥淔or families, for the planet and the human race. More than 20 years in a job I love, thanks to California and the Lord above. So although I won鈥檛 be working for my Senate space, and I won鈥檛 be running in that next tough race, as long as there are issues and challenges and strife, I will never retire because that鈥檚 the meaning of my life."

This has led some to speculate that she is positioning herself for a spot under a potential Hillary Rodham Clinton administration, suggests McCuan, perhaps as head of the Environmental Protection Agency.