Florida Rep. Gwen Graham announced Thursday she will not seek re-election, but is instead considering a run for governor in 2018.
The Tallahassee Democrat made the decision following what she called in a press release “a long, chaotic redistricting battle, which transformed the Second Congressional District from a fair, moderate district into two extreme, partisan districts.”
Graham, the daughter of former Florida Sen. Bob Graham, won in 2014 by defeating incumbent Republican Rep. Steve Southerland. Graham made the announcement in a video to supporters.
“Our state government is just dysfunctional, and this causes me to rethink how I can best serve the people of North Florida and our state. Floridians are hungry for new leadership — and I’m so excited to tell you, first, I’m seriously considering running for governor in 2018,” Graham said in the video.
“Public servants must focus on the job they’re elected to do, so I will spend the remainder of my term fully representing you in Congress — but I will not seek re-election while considering this next step of service,” she added.
Florida Gov. Rick Scott, a Republican, cannot run for re-electoin. Outgoing Sen. Marco Rubio has said he will not run, either.
