North Carolina Republican Rep. Patrick McHenry announced Tuesday that he will not be seeking reelection.
McHenry, who serves as the chairman of the House Financial Services Committee and has been in Congress for 20 years, said he will finish his term but not run for reelection. North Carolina has a Super Tuesday primary, so the December 15 filing deadline was coming up. (RELATED: Patrick McHenry Pens Opposition To NDAA Provision Regulating Outbound Investment In China)
“I will be retiring from Congress at the end of my current term. This is not a decision I come to lightly, but I believe there is a season for everything and—for me—this season has come to an end. “Past, present, and future, the House of Representatives is the center of our American republic. Through good and bad, during the highest of days and the lowest, and from proud to infamous times, the House is the venue for our nation’s disagreements bound up in our hopes for a better tomorrow,” McHenry said in a statement.
“It is a truly special place and—as an American—my service here is undoubtedly my proudest. Since being sworn in January 3rd, 2005, I have worked everyday to uphold the Constitution and the system of government our founders so wisely created. “Thank you to my bosses at home in western North Carolina for giving me the opportunity to serve you. I strived each day in this job to not let you down. Being entrusted as your voice in Washington is my highest honor and that remains true today. My goal has always been to be a voice for western North Carolina to Washington, not the other way around,” he continued.
U.S. Speaker Pro Tempore Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-NC) shakes hands with U.S. Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA) as the House of Representatives holds an election for a new Speaker of the House at the U.S. Capitol on October 25, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
McHenry recently served as acting Speaker of the House and had his name floated to be Speaker after Republican California Rep. Kevin McCarthy was ousted. (RELATED: Jim Jordan To Back Patrick McHenry For Temporary Speaker Of The House, Will Remain Speaker Designee)
(This is a developing story. More information will be added as it becomes available.)