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 Republican Representatives Frank Wolf of Virginia and Tom Latham
of Iowa, along with Democratic Representative Jim Matheson of Utah,
made their separate announcements on Tuesday as Congress was winding
up its legislative activity for the year.
All three seats are considered competitive in the November, 2014
elections, when Republicans will try to expand their majority in the
House and Democrats will attempt to capture control of the
435-member chamber.
Wolf, 74, and Latham, 65, are members of the powerful House
Appropriations Committee, where they chair subcommittees that will
work through the holiday season to implement a budget deal expected
to be passed by the Senate this week.
Matheson, 53, serves on the House Energy and Commerce panel and is a
co-chair of a dwindling group of fiscally conservative Democrats
known as "Blue Dogs."
Wolf was first elected in 1980, when Ronald Reagan swept into the
White House and many Republicans rode on his coattails. He will
serve out his 17th House term that runs through 2014.
"As a follower of Jesus, I am called to work for justice and
reconciliation and to be an advocate for those who cannot speak for
themselves. I plan to focus my future work on human rights and
religious freedom," Wolf said. Throughout his congressional career
he was a vocal advocate for human rights in China.
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Latham, a close ally of House Speaker John Boehner, said in a
statement: "It is never a perfect time or a right time to step
aside. But for me, this is the time."
Earlier this year, some political observers had speculated that the
moderate Latham might run for U.S. Senate to replace retiring
Democrat Tom Harkin. Latham decided against the race in his home
state, which President Barack Obama carried in the November, 2012
presidential election.
Matheson was re-elected in 2012 with only 49 percent of the vote in
his central Utah district, which leans heavily Republican. Matheson
has one of the most conservative voting records among House
Democrats.
(Reporting by Richard Cowan; editing by Diane Craft)
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