Chris Cilizza’s The Fix:

California Rep. Jane Harman (D) will resign from Congress, according to two senior Democratic leadership aides, a surprise announcement that will set off a special election in her 36th district.

NBC’s Andrea Mitchell, who broke the news of Harman’s resignation, has reported that the California Congresswoman will take over as director of the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington. That job is currently held by former Indiana Rep. Lee Hamilton (D).

Harman, 65 , has held the southern California 36th district since 2000 when she upended then Rep. Steve Kuykendall (R). She also ran unsuccessfully for governor in 1998, losing a primary to then Lt. Gov. Gray Davis. Her husband, Sidney, is the owner of Newsweek magazine.

Harman’s exit was a surprise to many Democrats who reported first hearing off it on the MSNBC airwaves. She did, however, let House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) know of her planned resignation before it went public, according to an informed source.