House

House Republican Ribble to retire

by Cristina Marcos - 01/30/16 10:59 PM ET

Rep. Reid Ribble, a Wisconsin Republican first elected during the Tea Party wave of 2010, won’t seek reelection this year.

In a statement late Saturday, Ribble cited a desire to spend more time with his family, and to return to the private sector and “a more private life.”

{mosads}Ribble pledged upon first winning election that he wouldn’t serve more than eight years in the House. In the end, he will be leaving after three two-year terms.

“I will leave the House of Representatives confident that the voters of Northeast Wisconsin will choose an excellent new voice in Congress for 2017 and beyond,” he said.

Ribble is one of two Republican lawmakers who joined the hard-line conservative House Freedom Caucus only to depart the group in protest of its tactics.

He indicated at the time that he wanted to focus more on policy. The incident occurred during the leadership turmoil after former Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) decided to retire.

Ribble’s northeastern Wisconsin district has largely remained in Republican control in recent years. But Ribble’s seat was one of the most contested in the 2012 campaign and could be again in this presidential year.

President Obama won the district in 2008, while Mitt Romney narrowly took it in 2012.

Ribble joins 20 other House members who won’t be campaigning for reelection in November.

Six fellow Republicans from the 2010 class are also retiring: Reps. Dan Benishek (Mich.), Chris Gibson (N.Y.), Richard Hanna (N.Y.), Robert Hurt (Va.), Rich Nugent (Fla.) and Scott Rigell (Va.).

Tags House Freedom Caucus Reid Ribble Tea party