Michigan Rep. Mitchell won’t seek reelection

Rep. Paul Mitchell (R-Mich.) is expected to announce on Wednesday that he will not seek reelection in 2020, citing frustration with political rancor in Washington.

Mitchell, who’s in his second term in Congress, will announce his retirement in a speech on the House floor, according to a copy of the remarks published Wednesday morning by Politico. 

“A career in Washington has never been my objective,” Mitchell will say. “My objective has always been simply to work to address significant challenges this nation faces: health care, immigration, and infrastructure for example.

{mosads}“However, it appears to me that rhetoric overwhelms policy, and politics consumes much of the oxygen in this city.”

The Hill has reached out to Mitchell for comment on his expected announcement.

Mitchell, 62, represents a safe Republican district north of Detroit and his planned retirement is not likely to rattle the GOP’s electoral prospects there in 2020. Indeed, President Trump won the district in 2016 — the same year Mitchell was first elected — by more than 30 points. 

In an interview with Politico, Mitchell said he has grown weary of the constant partisan fighting and political posturing in Washington. He also said he wanted to spend more time with his 9-year-old son. 

“You look at the rhetoric and vitriol, it overwhelms policy, politics becomes the norm,” he told the news outlet. “Everything’s about politics. Everything’s about an election. And at some point of time, that’s not why I came here.”