Rep. Ted Yoho (R-Fla.) confirmed on Tuesday that he will not seek reelection, becoming the latest in an expanding list of elected Republican officials to announce their retirement from Congress.
Yoho is the 23rd Republican to say he will vacate his seat by the end of 2020, according to a tally by The Washington Post that includes two members who plan to run for Senate. Nine Democrats have announced similar plans to depart, with two running for Senate.
The congressman said in a statement that he was fulfilling a promise not to serve for more than four terms.
“I was told the district has changed three times and so the pledge isn’t binding and I could rationalize that. However, I truly believe a person’s word is their bond and should live up to their word,” he said in a statement, per CNN.
“I also meant that after eight years I will come home and pass the baton onto a new generation. Now, I am doing that,” the statement continued.
Yoho currently represents Florida’s 3rd congressional district, a landlocked region that includes Gainesville. He is a member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus and once suggested that voting rights be limited to property owners.
Joining Yoho in bidding farewell to Capitol Hill are Republican Reps. Tom Graves (Ga.), Jim Sensenbrenner (Wisc.), Will Hurd (Texas), Martha Roby (Ala.), Susan Brooks (Ind.), Greg Gianforte (Mont.) and many others. Democrats leaving the House include Reps. Denny Heck (Wash.), Nita Lowey (N.Y.), Susan Davis (Calif.) and others.