Rep. Lynn Westmoreland Will Not Seek Re-election In 2016
Alex Brandon / ASSOCIATED PRESS
Republican Rep. Lynn Westmoreland of Georgia’s third congressional district, just southeast of Atlanta, announced today he will not seek reelection in 2016.
Westmoreland was first elected to the Georgia House in 2004, and before that he served in the Georgia legislature for 12 years. He told WABE last fall he wouldn’t rule out a run for governor of the state in 2018.
“We’ve been doing a lot of things to make sure we meet people across the state,” Westmoreland said. “I feel like good leaders are recruited.”
Westmoreland’s departure from the seat means politicians in the mostly Republican district will begin jockeying for the spot — even as soon as next week, with the beginning of this year’s state legislative session.
In a statement, Westmoreland said, “I look forward to this next chapter of my life; returning to my community and spending more time with family and friends.”
The conservative-leaning Republican may have garnered more attention from voters around the state and country recently when he took on Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton as a member of the House Select Committee on Benghazi.
According to multiple media reports, Westmoreland played with the idea of running for Speaker of the House in the aftermath of John Boehner’s surprise departure, but he backed off when current speaker Paul Ryan of Wisconsin stepped up for the job.
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