In a reversal, North Carolina U.S. Rep. Patrick McHenry says he won’t seek reelection. The decision, which immediately sparked speculation over who would run to fill the seat, comes amid infighting among House Republicans.
Patrick McHenry, the congressman from Lincoln County who rose to one of the highest ranks in United States government this year when he briefly served as U.S. House speaker, said Tuesday that he’ll retire from Congress.
The announcement is a reversal: McHenry — who filled the speaker role following the ouster of former speaker Kevin McCarthy in October — had said just over a month ago that he would seek reelection.
When he announced his decision Tuesday to retire from the U.S. House, he didn’t explain what changed his mind. McHenry’s decision, however, comes as the House GOP caucus has been fractured by infighting over the House speaker position and other political battles.
“Past, present, and future, the House of Representatives is the center of our American republic,” McHenry said in a written statement. “Through good and bad, during the highest of days and the lowest, and from proud to infamous times, the House is the venue for our nation’s disagreements bound up in our hopes for a better tomorrow.”
The announcement immediately sparked speculation over who would run to fill the newly redrawn 10th Congressional District. The district, which will stretch from the Charlotte suburbs north through Hickory and Statesville into Winston-Salem, is considered a safe Republican seat.
