U.S. Rep. Ross will not seek 2012 re-election (Updated)
by July 25, 2011 10:27 am 73 views
story by Roby Brock and Michael Tilley
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Saying it is time for someone else to represent Arkansas’ 4th Congressional District, Rep. Mike Ross, D-Prescott, said Monday he will not seek re-election to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2012.
Ross, who has made no secret of his interest in Arkansas’ Governor’s office, did leave the door open for a gubernatorial run in 2014.
Ross, the lone Congressional Democrat in Arkansas’ delegation of 4 who is serving his 6th term, was considered a prime target for a Republican challenge next year due to redistricting and the prospect of Pres. Obama leading the ticket. Obama performed and has polled poorly in Arkansas.
But Ross won his last re-election by 18 points in a year when Republicans made unprecedented gains in Arkansas.
“It was a family decision and they are very supportive,” Ross said after his announcement when asked about family input.
Prior to making his decision, Ross said he had a private Sunday morning (July 24) meeting with Gov. Mike Beebe.
“I made my decision after that meeting,” Ross said.
Ross says he will not make or announce a decision about his political future until after his term in Congress ends, which is January 2013. He said during a brief phone interview he will “spend the next 17 months trying to cut spending” and “putting people back to work,” rather than focusing on his political future.
A post January 2013 announcement would give Ross enough time to organize a campaign for the early 2014 Democratic gubernatorial primary. However, Arkansas law will not allow Ross to use the $319,172 in his federal re-election war chest (as of June 30, 2011) for a state race. Under state law, Ross’ federal account — Mike Ross for Congress Committee — would be limited to a $2,000 donation to Ross’ statewide race.
Ross could also donate from the account to a candidate or candidates in the 2012 election for the 4th Congressional District.
“I will work my heart out for the Democratic nominee, let’s just leave it at that,” Ross said when asked if he would endorse a candidate during the primary.
As to what he is hearing from his peers in Congress, Ross said he received several e-mails immediately after the Monday announcement. He said most e-mails and messages from his peers had a “shocked, but not surprised” tone.
He was elected in 1990 to the Arkansas Senate. At age 29, he was the youngest member of the Arkansas Senate, and he remained in the Senate 10 years.
During his years in the U.S. House, Ross has moved into several leadership positions. He serves on the powerful House Committee on Energy and Commerce and its Subcommittees on Health; Oversight & Investigations; and Commerce, Trade & Manufacturing.
A more high-profile post over the years has been as one of the leaders of the Blue Dog Coalition in the House. The coalition represents Democratic House members who are from fiscally conservative districts. Ross was one of the few Democrats to vote against the federal health care law.
During the debt ceiling debate, Ross has called for a federal balanced budget amendment.
He also co-Chairs the Congressional Delta Caucus, the I-49 Congressional Caucus and the I-69 Congressional Caucus and serves as president of the Mississippi Valley Flood Control Association.
OFFICIAL STATEMENT
Representing my home state of Arkansas in the U.S. Congress for the past eleven years has been a real privilege and honor. It is a job that I take very seriously and one that I love. However, as I reflect on turning 50 this year, I believe it is time for me to begin a new chapter in my life by spending more time with my family and exploring new opportunities here at home in Arkansas.
That’s why I have decided not to seek a seventh term to the United States House of Representatives from Arkansas’s Fourth Congressional District. This was not an easy decision and one that I carefully made after a lot of reflection, thought and prayer.
Last year was a tough political environment to seek re-election. Yet, I won by 18 points— one of the largest margins of any member of Congress in a swing district. The trust and confidence the folks here at home have continually placed in me is something I will never forget. The people of Arkansas’s Fourth Congressional District are good, decent, hard working people and I am proud to serve and represent them in the U.S. Congress.
A lot has changed since I was first elected to the U.S. Congress in 2000. Congressional campaigns have gone from several months in length to never-ending, costing millions of dollars every two years. As a result, fundraising never ends nor do the political attacks. While I have worked hard to bring folks to the middle to craft commonsense solutions to the many problems that confront our nation, Washington is mired in gridlock, gamesmanship and constant partisan bickering. Too many issues and votes are based on partisan politics rather than good public policy. Despite our many challenges, I remain optimistic that America’s best days are still ahead of us.
I never believed that my service in the U.S. Congress should become a permanent career. This seat never belonged to me — it belongs to the people of Arkansas. And I know there are many bright people in Arkansas ready to step up, go to Washington and offer a new generation of leadership. Simply put, it is someone else’s turn to represent our state in the U.S. Congress.
I have many good memories of my service in the U.S. Congress, and we have helped thousands of people. None of this would have been possible without the support of the people here in Arkansas, and for that, my family and I will always be grateful to them.
I look forward to serving out the remainder of my term in the U.S. Congress, which doesn’t end until January 2013. I will continue to work each and every day on behalf of the people I represent, just as I have faithfully tried to do from the beginning.
I have received a lot of encouragement to run for Governor of Arkansas when Governor Beebe’s term ends in 2014. I’ve always been very upfront and honest in the fact that, as a fifth generation Arkansan, I love our state and would like very much to help lead it at some point in the future. Whether I run for Governor in 2014 is a decision I have not yet made and won’t make until sometime after my term in this Congress ends.
But I do know if I was re-elected to the U.S. Congress next year, my term in the Congress would overlap with the Governor’s race. I believe it would be impossible to successfully run for Governor here at home, while effectively carrying out my congressional duties in Washington. That wouldn’t be fair to the people who elected me to Congress and it wouldn’t be fair to my supporters in a race for Governor. That certainly factored into my decision not to seek re-election to the U.S. Congress.
I don’t know what my future holds, but I am hopeful it involves us continuing to work together to build an even brighter future for our state and its people. (End of statement.)
THE RACE TO REPLACE MIKE ROSS
Following is a short list of potential GOP and Democratic prospects:
GOP
Tom Cotton – Flirted with a U.S. Senate run in 2010
Glenn Gallas – Ran for GOP Congressional primary, but lost to Beth Anne Rankin
Lane Jean – First-term State Rep. and former Mayor of Magnolia
Beth Anne Rankin – GOP candidate who lost to Ross in 2010
Will Rockefeller – son of late Lt. Gov. Win Rockefeller
Matthew Shepherd – First-term State Rep. from El Dorado with political pedigree
Democrats
Robin Carroll – Prosecutor based in south Arkansas and former Democratic Party legal counsel
Gene Jeffress – Term-limited State Senator
Bruce Maloch – Term-limited State Rep. from Magnolia who is also eyeing State Senate run
Gregg Reep – Term-limited State Rep. from Warren who is also eyeing State Senate run
Chris Thomason – Former State Rep. who now serves as chancellor of community college in Hope
Hank Wilkins – Term-limited state legislator from Pine Bluff