Rep. McMorris Rodgers Not Seeking Reelection
WASHINGTON — Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., a well-respected establishment Republican who rose to chair the powerful House Energy and Commerce Committee in a career spanning two decades, announced Thursday that she will not seek reelection this year.
The stunning announcement made her the third chair of a key committee to announce their departure this year.
The other two were Rep. Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., speaker pro tem during the speaker crisis last year and chair of the House Financial Services Committee, and Rep. Kay Granger, R-Texas, who currently leads the House Appropriations Committee.
McMorris Rodgers is also the second high-profile member of Washington’s congressional delegation to opt out of running for reelection this year.
In November, Rep. Derek Kilmer, D-Wash., former chair of the House Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress, announced he wouldn’t seek a seventh term.
In a lengthy email to reporters on Thursday, McMorris Rodgers said her decision came after “much prayer and reflection.”
“I’ve decided the time has come to serve the people of Eastern Washington in new ways. I will not be running for reelection to the people’s House,” she said in the written statement.
McMorris Rodgers was first elected to Congress in 2004, winning a competitive Republican primary and then the general election to succeed Rep. George Nethercutt, who chose to make an unsuccessful bid to unseat Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash.
Prior to winning the race to represent Washington’s 5th Congressional District, McMorris Rodgers served for a decade as a state representative.
Her statement did not mention any specific reason for her decision to retire, and she did not say what her future plans are. What she did say was that before leaving office next January, she will continue to lead the Energy and Commerce Committee, “plowing the hard ground necessary to legislate on solutions to make people’s lives better.”
McMorris Rodgers also thanked her constituents, saying they’ve inspired her every day she’s been in office.
“They are part of the strength and soul of America — the greatest experiment in self-governance the world has ever known,” she said.
Dan can be reached at [email protected] and @DanMcCue
