Wisconsin Republican Rep. Mike Gallagher said on Saturday that he will not seek reelection to his House seat.
“When I initially campaigned for Congress eight years ago, I swore to treat my tenure in office like a high-intensity deployment. Gallagher said in a statement that via his bipartisan work on the Armed Services and Intelligence Committees, as well as chairing the Cyberspace Solarium Commission and the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, we’ve accomplished more on this deployment than I could have ever dreamed.
“But the Framers intended citizens to serve in Congress for a season and then return to their private lives,” the member of the House said. “Electoral politics was never intended to be a profession, and believe me, Congress is not a place to grow old. So, with a heavy heart, I’ve chosen not to run for reelection.”
Earlier this week, Gallagher was one of only three Republican House members to vote against impeaching Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, joining all House Democrats in blocking the effort.
Gallagher, who has represented Wisconsin’s 8th Congressional District in the House since 2017, expressed gratitude to individuals who have helped him during his career.
“I’d want to thank the excellent folks of Northeast Wisconsin for the honor of a lifetime. Four terms serving you have increased my belief that America is the greatest country in history. And, while my title may change, my duty will always be the same: discourage America’s enemies and preserve the Constitution.
Gallagher told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that he plans to leave Congress and enter the private sector to spend more time with his family.
“I really just feel like I’ve accomplished much more than I even thought I could when I set out, and I firmly don’t believe that the best use for the next chapter of my career is staying in Congress for another decade,” Gallagher was quoted as saying by the newspaper.
“Even though my title may change, my job may change, my mission is always going to remain the same,” he said. “My aim is to prevent World War III. I’ve pledged myself to restore conventional deterrence in order to avoid a confrontation with China, and everything I do next will be a continuation of that objective.”
Gallagher, a former US Marine Corps intelligence officer, made the news after a number of other Republicans announced their plans to retire from Congress.
Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., said Thursday that she will not seek re-election to the House this year, writing on social media that “the time has come to serve the people of Eastern Washington in new ways.”
Gallagher’s current term expires on January 3, 2025.