GOP Rep. Trey Hollingsworth of Indiana announced on Wednesday he will not seek a fourth term in November, becoming the 12th House Republican to say he won’t run for reelection.
“I ran for Congress to return this government to the people from the career politicians who had broken it, and I will be damned if I become one in the process,” Hollingsworth wrote in an op-ed in the Indianapolis Star.
First elected in 2016, he had pledged to serve no more than four terms.
“I want to be the change I want to see in this world, so, as I contemplate how I can work for you in new and better ways in the future, I won’t run for reelection this year,” Hollingsworth wrote. “You deserve a Member of Congress totally and completely focused on the 9th District, and, though I have remained committed to that promise these three terms, now I will fight for you and us in different ways.”
Hollingsworth sponsored a constitutional amendment last year to limit members of the House to four terms and senators to two terms.
Overall, 38 House members have now announced they won’t be seeking another term in 2022, when many lawmakers will be running in altered congressional districts thanks to redistricting.
But the members who have so far announced their retirements include more than twice as many Democrats as Republicans, including long-serving Democratic members and committee chairs. Those departures underscore what could be fears about a tough midterm election year and the prospects of severing in the minority if Republicans win the majority. Rep. Ed Perlmutter of Colorado became the latest House Democrat to announce his retirement on Monday.
Eleven of the those 38 members not seeking reelection – six Democrats and five Republicans – are running for Senate or governor.