GOP Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers announces she won’t seek re-election

Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) revealed Thursday she will not run for re-election, deciding that “the time has come to serve the people of Eastern Washington in new ways” after nearly 20 years in the House of Representatives. 

McMorris Rodgers, the chairwoman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, is the 18th GOP House member to announce that they won’t seek re-election in 2024 and the 13th stating that they intend to retire from public office. 

“After much prayer and reflection, I’ve decided the time has come to serve the people of Eastern Washington in new ways,” the 54-year-old lawmaker wrote on X. “I will not be running for re-election to the People’s House.”

McMorris Rodgers called her lengthy stint as the representative of Washington’s 5th Congressional District “the honor and privilege of my life,” in a statement released by her office. 

“Especially as Chair of the Energy and Commerce Committee, I’ve seen the best of Eastern Washington and the United States of America,” she said. “We will spend this year honoring the Committee’s rich history — plowing the hard ground necessary to legislate on solutions to make people’s lives better and ensure America wins the future.” 

McMorris Rodgers served in congressional leadership for 10 years as vice chair and chair of the House GOP Conference before being elected to ranking member of the Energy and Commerce Committee in 2021. 

In her note, she praised her family for being in her “corner from the start” of her political career.

“I love to see their drawings and notes hanging on my office walls. Brian, Cole, Grace, and Brynn give me strength and courage to give it my best every day,” McMorris Rodgers said of her husband and three children. 

“My brother quit his job to run my first campaign. My dad covered every road in Eastern Washington with campaign signs. My mom has been my greatest encourager and fiercest defender. I couldn’t have served so well without their love, support, and patience,” she added. 

The Washington Republican is the third House GOP chair to announce their retirement in recent months. 

House Financial Services Chairman Patrick McHenry (R-NC) and House Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Kay Granger (R-Texas) both announced they would not seek re-election late last year. 

“The best is yet to come,” McMorris Rodgers’ statement concluded.