“The prime reason for my decision was that after 28 years of spending 4 days a week in Washington, D.C., it is time to end the weekly commute and be home in Seaford,” King said in a statement. “This was not an easy decision.”
King represents a South Shore Long Island district that includes parts of Nassau County and Suffolk County. He won reelection in 2018 with 53 percent of the vote over Democrat Liuba Grechen Shirley — his lowest percentage since first being elected in 1992.
“Politically I will miss the energy and dynamism of a re-election campaign especially since my polling numbers are as strong as they have ever been and I have more than $1 million in campaign funds,” King said in his statement.
King said he plans to remain politically active and that he looks forward “to seeing what opportunities and challenges await me in this next chapter of a very fortunate life.”
King joins a growing number of Republican members of Congress who have announced retirements, resigned or said they will seek another office next year.
Before his announcement, 19 House Republicans had said they would not seek reelection, according to a tally by the House Press Gallery. By comparison, eight Democrats have announced they will not seek reelection.
Those praising King’s service on Monday included both Republicans and Democrats.
“Peter King stood head & shoulders above everyone else,” Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) said in a tweet. “He’s been principled & never let others push him away from his principles. He’s fiercely loved America, Long Island, and his Irish heritage and left a lasting mark on all 3.”
