Breaking Tradition: GOP Rep. SHOCKS Capitol Hill With Retirement Announcement

This announcement was made public on Saturday, marking the end of his tenure that began in 2017.

Gallagher, who has been serving Wisconsin's 8th Congressional District, stated, "Eight years ago, when I first ran for Congress, I promised to treat my time in office as a high-intensity deployment. Through my bipartisan work on the Armed Services and Intelligence Committees, chairing the Cyberspace Solarium Commission, and chairing the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, we’ve accomplished more on this deployment than I could have ever imagined."

However, he believes that the Founding Fathers intended for citizens to serve in Congress for a limited period before returning to their private lives. Gallagher continued, "Electoral politics was never supposed to be a career and, trust me, Congress is no place to grow old. And so, with a heavy heart, I have decided not to run for re-election."

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Expressing his gratitude to his constituents, Gallagher said, "Thank you to the good people of Northeast Wisconsin for the honor of a lifetime. Four terms serving you has strengthened my conviction that America is the greatest country in the history of the world. And though my title may change, my mission will always remain the same: deter America’s enemies and defend the Constitution."

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Gallagher, in an interview with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, revealed his plans to leave Congress and transition into the private sector, aiming to spend more quality time with his family. He stated, "I really just feel like I’ve accomplished much more than I even thought I could when I set out, and I firmly don’t believe that the best use for the next chapter of my career is staying in Congress for another decade."

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Despite the change in his professional path, Gallagher emphasized that his mission remains unchanged. He added, "My mission is to prevent World War III. I’ve dedicated myself to restoring conventional deterrence in order to prevent a war with China, and so whatever I do next will be an extension of that mission."

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Gallagher's announcement follows a recent trend of Republicans deciding to retire from Congress. Among them is Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., who announced her decision not to seek re-election this year, expressing her desire to serve the people of Eastern Washington in new ways.

Gallagher, a former United States Marine Corps intelligence officer, will conclude his current term on January 3, 2025.