New York’s Peter King to Exit Congress, Adding to GOP Exodus

(Bloomberg) -- Republican Representative Peter King of New York announced his plan to retire from Congress after 14 terms, becoming the 20th member of his party from the House to plan an exit in 2020.

King said in a statement Monday that he made the decision to spend more time with his family.

King, a moderate first elected to Congress in 1992, makes clear in his statement that he will vote against any impeachment articles against President Donald Trump, and will be supporting Trump’s re-election.

“I intend to vote against President Trump’s impeachment and will support the President’s bid for re-election,” said King, 75, whose district on Long Island supported Trump in the 2016 election.

King joins an exodus of GOP lawmakers from the House since Democrats took control of the chamber in the 2018 election. So far, the top Republicans on the Agriculture, Defense, and Natural Resources committees have all announced retirements. In late October, Representative Greg Walden of Oregon, the top Republican on the House Energy and Commerce Committee and former chairman of the panel, became the 19th Republican House member to announce he would not seek re-election. King is the 20th.

U.S. Congress Members Not Seeking Re-Election in 2020

Many of those seats are in safe conservative districts, but not all. And King’s district is one of several that has the potential to flip. The large number of retirements may be a sign that Republicans don’t want to languish in the minority party for another two years or longer; the rancorous political climate in Washington, and fear of being swept from office, or even Trump fatigue. Or it could be a combination of these factors.

King is a former chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, where he promoted staunch counter-terrorism agenda especially in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. But before that, he had a long and sometimes controversial support of the Irish Republican Army. He eventually called for that group to disband and help make the Irish peace process succeed.

He lists among his achievements in his announcement Monday his working with former President Bill Clinton “to achieve the Good Friday Agreement and end centuries of warfare in Ireland and Northern Ireland.”

Over the years, King has weighed bids for the U.S. Senate and New York governor.

More recently, he has led the effort to attempt to lift the cap on the state and local tax deduction imposed in the Trump administration’s tax reform law.

“This was not an easy decision,” King said in the statement, in which he cites his wife and family. “But there is a season for everything and Rosemary and I decided that, especially since we are both in good health, it is time to have the flexibility to spend more time with our children and grandchildren. My daughter’s recent move to North Carolina certainly accelerated my thinking.”

King said he intends to remain living in Seaford, New York, and will continue to be politically active.

“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,” he said.

King won his re-election in 2018, but by an unusually closed margin -- by 53% to 47% -- in defeating Democrat Liuba Grechen Shirley. He had received 62% and 65% of the vote in 2016 and 2014.

Trump carried the district, on the South Shore of Long Island, in 2016 by 53% to 44% margin in 2016.

--With assistance from Caitlin Webber.

To contact the reporters on this story: Erik Wasson in Washington at ewasson@bloomberg.net;Billy House in Washington at bhouse5@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Joe Sobczyk at jsobczyk@bloomberg.net, Elizabeth Wasserman

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