North Carolina Republican Congressman Mark Meadows announced Thursday morning he will not seek re-election in his district.
“Obviously, I've looked at this as a temporary job," Meadows first told POLITICO. “Endorsed term limits -- never ran on a term-limit pledge. Every year it’s a decision whether you’re going to run again. Probably the hardest thing for me was the timing of this, because the president has accomplished so much. I’m not only an ally, but will continue to be an ally. And we’ve had discussions on how we can work more closely together in the future and I felt like filing and then potentially resigning at some point in the future would not serve my constituents in North Carolina best.”
“The hardest decision for me is that when you’re in the fight, you enjoy staying in the fight,” he continued. “So this is not me shrinking away from a fight. In fact, it’s just going to be continuing to fight a different capacity, whether that’s officially as part of the Trump team or unofficially in my capacity as a sitting member of Congress.”
Meadows was a product of the Tea Party movement and founded the Freedom Caucus in 2015. Republican Congressman Andy Biggs replaced him as chairman in October.
The resignation comes less than 24-hours after President Trump was impeached by House Democrats and as the congressional map in North Carolina changes. Meadows joins nearly half-a-dozen other House Republicans who will not seek re-election in 2020. He has been one of President Trump's most ardent supporters and defenders throughout Robert Mueller's Special Counsel investigation and impeachment.
Today will be remembered as the day your House Democrat majority voted to impeach President @realDonaldTrump for a crime they couldn’t find and a case they couldn’t prove.
— Mark Meadows (@RepMarkMeadows) December 19, 2019
You won’t forget. And neither will we.