Republican Who Voted Against Impeaching Mayorkas Announces He Won’t Seek Reelection
(Photo By Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call via AP Images)
Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI) announced he will not seek reelection this fall after voting against the impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas earlier this week.
Gallagher, who serves as the chair of the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, issued a statement via his press office on Saturday afternoon noting that he will not continue serving in Congress after the upcoming fall election.
He was one of the three Republicans who voted against impeaching Mayorkas over the influx of migrants at the southern border. On Tuesday, Gallagher refused to reveal what he would vote until it came time on the House floor.
In his statement, Gallagher noted that when he joined Congress eight years ago he vowed to treat his time in office as a high-intensity deployment. The Wisconsin lawmaker had previously served for seven years as an activity duty officer in the United States Marines Corps with two deployments to Iraq.
“But the Framers intended citizens to serve in Congress for a season and then return to their private lives. Electoral politics was never supposed to be a career and, trust me, Congress is no place to grow old,” his statement read. “And so, with a heavy heart, I have decided not to run for re-election.”
A statement from Congressman Gallagher. pic.twitter.com/93xhZIyVRb
— Rep. Gallagher Press Office (@RepGallagher) February 10, 2024
Gallagher added, “And though my title may change, my mission will always remain the same: deter America’s enemies and defend the Constitution.”
