Rep. Jake LaTurner (R-KS) announced on Thursday that he will not be seeking re-election, splashing into the steady stream of Congress members who are opting out of the rat race.
In a statement, LaTurner said that he would stay in his seat for the remainder of his term, but that he would not seek re-election, so he could spend more time with his four children.
The Kansas Republican wrote, “the busy schedule of serving in Congress has taken a toll. The unrepeatable season of life we are in, where our kids are still young and at home, is something I want to be there for.”
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So far, 43 members of Congress have either announced that they won’t seek re-election or stepped down, according to Ballotpedia.
“Undoubtedly, the current dysfunction on Capitol Hill is distressing, but it almost always has been; we just didn’t see most of it,” LaTurner wrote. He added that he would not run for any office in 2024 or state elections in 2026, but hinted that he might return to politics in “another season of life.”
LaTurner’s unexpectedly open seat, creates a Congressional race in Kansas’ 2nd district. Patrick Schmidt, the Democratic challenger who LaTurner beat in 2022, is reportedly running for a Kansas state senate seat.
LaTurner was elected to Congress in 2021, unseating Rep. Steve Watkins who was charged with three felony counts of voter fraud in the 2019 municipal elections. Watkins’ campaign blamed LaTurner for the charges, who had left his seat as the state treasurer to run against Watkins.
In 2021, LaTurner voted to reject Arizona’s 11 electoral votes for Joe Biden, and hours later tested positive for COVID-19, and so he missed a subsequent vote about Pennsylvania’s electoral votes.
LaTurner served on the House Appropriations Committee and the House Oversight and Accountability Committee.
