Politics

Oregon Rep. Greg Walden Becomes Latest House Republican To Retire

WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 13: House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Rep. Greg Walden (R-OR) holds up a photograph of Amanda Beatrice Rose Gray, who passed away from an opioid overdose in 2018, during a news conference following a Republican Conference meeting on Capitol Hill on June 13, 2018 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Zach Gibson/Getty Images)

(Photo by Zach Gibson/Getty Images)

William Davis Contributor
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Republican Oregon Rep. Greg Walden announced Monday that he will not be seeking re-election, becoming the latest House Republican to call it quits.

Walden has served Oregon’s 2nd Congressional district in the House of Representatives for over two decades. The district is heavily Republican, and Walden’s retirement is not expected to put House Republicans in jeopardy of losing another seat. (RELATED: New Republican ‘Catalyst’ PAC Seeks A More Inclusive GOP)

“Based on recent polling, strong fundraising, and the backing of my wife and family, I am confident I could earn the support of 2nd District voters for another term. I’m also optimistic that a path exists for Republicans to recapture a majority in the House, and that I could return for two more years as chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee,” Walden said, according to Politico. “But I also know that for me, the time has come to pursue new challenges and opportunities.”

WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 18: Conference Chair Liz Cheney (R-WY) speaks to reporters during a press conference on September 18, 2019 in Washington, DC. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy discussed Democrats' actions towards impeachment and claimed House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is struggling to maintain control of her party. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)

Conference Chair Liz Cheney (R-WY) speaks to reporters during a press conference on September 18, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)

The 62-year-old Walden is the 17th House Republican to announce that this will be their final term in office prior to the 2020 House elections, with six of them coming from Texas. (RELATED: Don’t Buy Into The Hype About Republicans Losing Texas)

Walden served as the chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee from  2017 to January 2019, but he was relegated to being the ranking member after Democrats took the House in the 2018 midterms. Several other retirements (including four in Texas) have come from members that chaired committees before Democrats took over.