Rep. Ralph Abraham announced he would retire from Congress when his term concludes just after the end of the year, making the medical doctor and former veterinarian the latest House Republican to depart.
The retirement announcement from Abraham, 65, comes after his unsuccessful 2019 gubernatorial bid. Abraham last year finished third in the primary election behind Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards and wealthy Baton Rouge Republican businessman Eddie Rispone. Edwards defeated Rispone in the runoff election.
After years in the medical field, Abraham won his North Louisiana House seat in 2014. He has been a low-key ally of the Republican leadership, in the majority for his first two-year terms and with the House under Democratic control since January 2019.
Abraham is a member of the House Armed Services Committee, where he has been able to secure funding for key projects at Barksdale Air Force Base and Fort Polk. He also serves on the House Agriculture Committee, where he helped write the Farm Bill that President Trump signed into law in 2018.
But the shift to Democratic control has prompted a swath of Abraham’s Republican colleagues to call it quits. He will be the 23rd House Republican to leave Congress in early 2021 without seeking another office.
Abraham’s House seat is likely to remain in Republican hands. Trump in 2016 won the district, covering most of the northeastern and central portions of Louisiana, 64%-34% over Democratic rival Hillary Clinton. Louisiana will hold House primary elections on Nov. 3, the same day as the presidential race. If no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote, a general election between the top two vote-getters will be held on Dec. 5.
