Powerful House Republican joins retirement wave [View all]

Source: msn/WSJ

3h


WASHINGTON—Republican Rep. Sam Graves, the chairman of the House Committee on Transportation, is pulling his plans to seek re-election for his Missouri seat, joining dozens of other lawmakers who are retiring from Congress at the end of this term. The 62-year-old said he is withdrawing his paperwork seeking re-election in Missouri’s Sixth Congressional District on Friday, a reversal that comes ahead of the August primary for his seat.

He was first elected to Congress in 2000 and is leaving after 13 terms. “I think it is time for me to step down,” Graves said in an interview. “I filed for re-election, and I was still kind of evaluating…my next chapter in life, and what that might look like.” He said he made the decision earlier this week.

There were already two other Republican candidates in the GOP primary, but more Republicans could jump into the race once Graves formally exits. Graves won the district with roughly 70% of the vote in 2024.

Graves is among a wave of lawmakers leaving Congress after this term, with more than 50 House members announcing they won’t seek another term—recently hitting a record for a midterm election. About half of those members are seeking a different elected office.

Read more: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/powerful-house-republican-joins-retirement-wave/ar-AA1ZwCw1