GOP Retirement Alert: NJ Rep. LoBiondo Driven Out By ‘Political Polarization’

UNITED STATES - MAY 29: Rep. Frank LoBiondo, R-N.J., arrives for the House Republican Conference meeting in the basement of the Capitol on Thursday, May 29, 2014. (Photo By Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call) (CQ Roll Call via AP Images)
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Rep. Frank LoBiondo (R-NJ) announced Tuesday that he will not seek re-election to the House of Representatives in 2018.

“People before politics has always been my philosophy and my motivation,” LoBiondo, 71, wrote in a statement posted to his Facebook page. “Regrettably, our nation is now consumed by increasing political polarization; there is no longer middle ground to honestly debate issues and put forward solutions.”

The 12-term Republican said the decision to retire was not based on any health problems or perceived chances at winning re-election. Rather, he noted that, “[a]s I am term-limited as Chairman of the House Aviation Subcommittee and in my position on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, now is appropriate time to leave.”

In his statement, LoBiondo said he and his colleagues who came to improve Washington, D.C. through “good governance” found themselves becoming “outliers”: “In legislating, we previously fought against allowing the perfect to become the enemy of the good. Today a vocal and obstinate minority within both parties has hijacked good legislation in pursuit of no legislation.”

LoBiondo joins more than a dozen Republican members of the House of Representatives and two senators — Sens. Bob Corker (R-TN) and Jeff Flake (R-AZ) to retire as opposed to facing re-election bids in 2018.

Following Pennsylvania Republican Rep. Charlie Dent’s announcement of his own retirement in September, LoBiondo told The Hill he didn’t plan to retire alongside his colleague.

“I still have high hopes,” LoBiondo said at the time.

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Notable Replies

  1. Another casualty of the Republican right.

    (And, let’s hope, a pick-up for the Democrats.)

  2. Sorry, but you can’t complain about “both sides” in this congress.

    The GOP legislate in secrecy, don’t consult with Democrats, don’t allow amendments, don’t allow debate, don’t allow testimony from experts, push their bills through without being scored, and are constantly pushing a legislative agenda that will hurt the middle class and help the rich (and sometimes only the super rich).

    So tell me: Why should a Democrat vote for anything the GOP has been doing?

  3. Yikes! My congressman. :joy:

  4. Avatar for pshah pshah says:

    Another establishment Republican falling on his sword. Good news in that it’s a pickup opportunity for Dems. But bad news in the sense that remaining Republicans will be of the Bannon/alt-right varsity, unwilling to compromise and clueless to good governance.

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