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Rep. Bill Posey (R-FL) announced Friday he will retire from Congress.
“It has been the greatest honor of Katie’s and my life to represent you in Congress. And, polls suggest that because of YOUR support, I could remain in the job forever, and we were looking forward to another spirited campaign for a final term in office. However, earlier this week circumstances beyond my control now require me to suspend my re-election campaign,” Posey stated.
“I will continue to devote all possible resources to continue representing you through the end of my current term, helping President Donald Trump return to the oval office, and supporting former Florida Senate President Mike Haridopolos, in whom I have the greatest trust and confidence, to take up my battles against the swamp and replace me as your Congressman,” he added.
Rep. Bill Posey announced that he will retire at the end of this year, joining a wave of congressional retirements.
“It has been the greatest honor of Katie’s and my life to represent you in Congress,” Posey said in a statement. https://t.co/mIWlOhtJ6d
— The Hill (@thehill) April 27, 2024
From The Hill:
Posey, 76, has represented Florida’s 8th Congressional District since 2008. According to Cook Political Report, the district is solidly Republican.
The Florida lawmaker said he looks forward to helping former President Trump get reelected and said his goal was to see state Senate President Mike Haridopolos replace him in the House.
“For many years, Mike has served as my Congressional Finance Committee Chairman, while I have mentored him to replace me,” Posey said. “Mike was, and remains, my first choice to represent you, me, and our district in Congress.”
Without going into a lot of personal details, stars aligned during the past week and Mike decided he was ready for Congress,” he continued, highlighting Haridopolos’s conservative values and strong work ethic. “I enthusiastically endorse him and will do everything I can to help him get elected.”
Posey’s announcement comes after a slew of other GOP lawmakers announced they would also not seek reelection in 2024, and others — such as former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (Calif.) and former Reps. Mike Gallagher (Ill.) and Ken Buck (Colo.) — who left Congress before the end of the term.
Bill Posey (R,FL) is the next Republican to bow out.
In the last year we have had
Bill Johnson (R,OH)
Kevin McCarthy (R,CA)
Mike Gallagher (R,Ill.)
Ken Buck(R,CO)This is beginning to mirror the mass amount of CEO resignations in 2019, just before Covid.…
— Michael O’Fallon – Sovereign Nations (@SovMichael) April 27, 2024
Rep. Bill Posey is now the 23rd GOP member of Congress to announce they’ll leave the House at the end of their term. https://t.co/dMmLCCmdKZ
— NBC News (@NBCNews) April 27, 2024
POLITICO reports:
Posey did not elaborate what caused his turnabout. He’s one of roughly two dozen Republican incumbents not returning to the lower chamber next year — all in safe seats — an unusually high number for a party in the majority.
“Without going into a lot of personal details, stars aligned during the past week and Mike decided he was ready for Congress,” Posey said. “I enthusiastically endorse him and will do everything I can to help him get elected.”
Posey, who had been in the Florida Legislature for 18 years prior to running for Congress in 2008, was a supporter of former President Donald Trump and usually stood aligned with the Republican majority. But he recently vote against the foreign aid package supported by Speaker Mike Johnson, and he also opposed reauthorizing a contentious surveillance program.
