NY Rep. Pete King Will Not Seek Re-Election

SEAFORD, NY — Longtime Republican U.S. Rep. Pete King will not seek re-election next year. He announced the news Monday morning on Facebook, saying he made the decision after talking with his wife and two children.

"The prime reason for my decision was that after 28 years of spending 4 days a week in Washington, D.C., it is time to end the weekly commute and be home in Seaford," King said. He added that he wants more time to spend with his children and grandchildren.

King, 75, served 14 terms as congressman and is a former Homeland Security Committee chairman. He joins a growing list of retiring House Republicans leading up to the 2020 elections, including Will Hurd of Texas, Tom Marino of Pennsylvania, Jim Sensenbrenner of Wisconsin, Greg Walden of Oregon and Rob Bishop of Utah.

The move comes after his daughter, Hempstead Town Councilwoman Erin King Sweeney, decided not to seek re-election so she and her family could move to North Carolina.

"My daughter’s recent move to North Carolina certainly accelerated my thinking," the congressman wrote.

King noted he will miss the energy and dynamism of a re-election campaign, particularly given his strong polling numbers and more than $1 million in campaign money. He'll also miss fighting for his constituents and will always be proud of his efforts to fight for 9/11 victims, protecting people from terrorism and MS-13 and leading Superstorm Sandy recovery efforts, among other things.

The congressman also reiterated his support for Trump.

"In the coming weeks and during the next year I intend to vote against President Trump's impeachment and will support the President’s bid for re-election," wrote King.

According to FiveThirtyEight's voting record tracker, King votes in line with Trump's position about 86 percent of the time. He has voted to repeal and replace major parts of Obamacare, against passing a resolution that outlines rules for an impeachment inquiry into Trump, and for passing new gun safety laws that would expand background checks.

In New York's 2nd Congressional District, King represents the southern Nassau County districts of Seaford, Levittown, Massapequa and Farmingdale, as well as the southern Suffolk Counties of Amityville, Lindenhurst, West Babylon, Babylon, Islip, Deer Park, Brentwood, Bay Shore, Islandia, Ronkonkoma, Sayville and Bayport. King won the district in 2018 with 53 percent of the vote, down from 62 percent in 2016 and 65 percent in 2014. The 2017 Cook Partisan Voter Index rated the district as R+3, indicating it was 3 percentage points more Republican than the national average.

Republican U.S. Rep. Lee Zeldin, who represents New York's 1st Congressional District, said in a statement that King served his country and community in Congress, protecting national security and securing "massive victories" on behalf of New Yorkers.

"While his tenacity and unwavering commitment to his constituents will be sorely missed, his legacy will have an enduring impact on all those he so faithfully served," Zeldin said. "I wish him and his family all the best as they embark on this new chapter."

Democratic U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer wrote in a tweet that King was his friend who "stood head & shoulders above everyone else."

"He’s been principled & never let others push him away from his principles," Schumer said. "He's fiercely loved America, Long Island, and his Irish heritage and left a lasting mark on all 3."

One Democrat saw King's announcement as an opportunity.

Liuba Grechen Shirley, who previously lost to King Sweeney in the Hempstead Town council race, said she's now weighing a run for King's congressional seat.

"As a mother, grassroots activist, and national childcare advocate, I know how much is at stake in the upcoming elections," she said in statement. "The issues I focused my campaign on last year—from paid family leave and affordable healthcare to climate change and a woman's right to choose—are still very much at the forefront of today’s political debate.