Rep. Matt Salmon, a founding member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, announced Thursday that he will not seek re-election.
“When I returned to the House of Representatives in 2013, the president’s disastrous policies were putting our nation at risk, both at home and abroad,” the Arizona Republican said in a statement. “Over the past three years, I’ve worked to curtail the largest expansion of peacetime spending in America’s history by working with members from both sides of the aisle. This is something to be proud of.”
Salmon, who served in the House from 1995 to 2001, returned to Congress in 2013.
Many Tea Party-aligned groups have been urging Salmon to challenge Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., for his Senate seat, but he has decided against it.
Salmon is the 23rd House member to announce retirement at the end of the 114th Congress. He is 58 years old and has four children.
His district, Arizona’s fifth, is heavily Republican and expected to remain red.
