Tim Griffin, Arkansas GOP Congressman, Not Running For Reelection

Rep. Tim Griffin (R-Ark.) announced Monday that he will not run for a third term.

"We have decided that now is the time for me to focus intently on my top priority, my family, as Elizabeth and I raise our two young children,” he told Talk Business Arkansas. “To that end, I will not seek reelection to a third term. I will complete my second term, but I have made no decision as to my plans after Congress except that I will continue in public service, including as a lieutenant colonel in the Army Reserve."

The announcement comes as something of a surprise, considering that Griffin appeared to have a full-fledged reelection campaign going. He raised over $208,000 in the third quarter of 2013 for his reelection and had over $540,000 in cash on hand, despite having no announced Democratic opponent.

The congressman blasted President Barack Obama, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) for their "violent rhetoric" in a recent tweet sent while the U.S. Capitol was on lockdown due to shots fired. He later deleted the tweet.