Rep. Jeff Duncan, elected in 2010 tea party wave, won’t seek re-election
Rep. Jeff Duncan, R-S.C., who was swept into Congress in the 2010 tea party wave, said Wednesday he will not seek re-election this fall, joining a growing number of House members who are heading for the exits.
“At some point in a career, one needs to step aside and allow others to bring fresh ideas and abilities into the fight for Liberty, just as I have,” Duncan said in a statement. “Now, it is time for another man or woman to serve our District in the next Congress. I will not seek re-election to the US House of Representatives.”
Duncan is a backbencher in the House but serves on the influential Energy and Commerce Committee and has focused during his time in Washington on energy issues and cutting spending.
He is the 17th Republican to announce they are retiring from the House or running for another office. (An 18th, former Rep. George Santos of New York, was expelled from Congress.) Meanwhile, 22 Democrats have announced they are not running for re-election.
Duncan’s announcement comes just months after his wife of more than three decades, in court divorce filings, accused him of having an affair with a Washington lobbyist. Duncan has declined to comment on the allegations, writing on X on Sept. 27: “My family is dealing with a difficult and private moment and I’m not going to comment on a deeply personal matter.”
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