On Thursday, Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer (R-MO) announced his retirement from the House of Representatives.
The Missouri Republican is the latest of a large contingency of public servants leaving Congress ahead of the 2024 election.
“Luetkemeyer currently represents Missouri’s 3rd District, which includes a central portion of the state mostly to the West of St. Louis and is decidedly Republican-leaning,” Just the News wrote.
Missouri GOP Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer announces retirement | Just The News https://t.co/WefTQycW37
— John Solomon (@jsolomonReports) January 4, 2024
“It has been an honor to serve the great people of the Third Congressional District and State of Missouri these past several years. However, after a lot of thoughtful discussion with my family, I have decided to not file for re-election and retire at the end of my term in December,” Luetkemeyer said in a statement posted to X.
“Over the coming months as I finish up my last term, I look forward to continuing to work with all my constituents on their myriad of issues as well as work on the many difficult and serious problems confronting our great country. There is still a lot to do,” he continued.
“As we tackle the many challenges we face, I hope we remember what someone once said, that ‘the greatness of our country is not found in the halls of Congress but in the hearts and homes of our people.’ That assessment is still true today. As we look into the future, I believe if we work hard, stay together, and believe in ourselves our best days are indeed still ahead,” he added.
— Blaine Luetkemeyer (@RepBlaine) January 4, 2024
Per Just the News:
Luetkemeyer first assumed his seat in 2009 and was a leading member of the House Financial Services Committee, The Hill noted.
At least 33 members of the House as of mid-December had announced they would not seek reelection, with 13 doing so in November alone.
Republicans currently hold an extremely slim majority in the House of Representatives.
Earlier this week, Rep. Bill Johnson (R-OH) submitted his resignation to the U.S. House of Representatives, effective January 21st.
The Ohio Republican will take over as Youngstown State University president.
Another Republican just resigned from Congress. Effective January 21, Ohio GOP Rep. Bill Johnson will take over as Youngstown State University president. https://t.co/tSWpOlwhC5
— Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) January 2, 2024
Republicans now hold a 219-213 edge in the House.
In the US House, Bill Johnson (R-Ohio) resigned today to accept a university presidency. With the expulsion of George Santos, the current count is:
219 Republicans
213 Democrats
A simple majority is 217, which means the Rs cannot lose more than two members on any votes.— Robert Collins (@DrRobertCollins) January 2, 2024