Cathy McMorris Rodgers Not Running for Re-Election in 2024

Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers Announces She Will Not Run for Re-election

WASHINGTON – Highly influential Spokane Republican, Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, has announced that she will not run for re-election in November, after two decades in Congress. She gained a significant role in the GOP leadership after her first election in 2004 before she shifted her focus to lawmaking in 2018.

The representative led the House Energy and Commerce Committee from 2023 and has been a vocal critic of the Biden administration. Meanwhile, she has also championed bipartisan bills designed to curb tech giants, decrease health care expenses, and more.

McMorris Rodgers’ decision marks part of a retirement wave from the House and Senate. As of Thursday, 41 House members had announced their decision not to run for re-election.

Despite being a staunch conservative, McMorris Rodgers is among several Republicans viewed as part of the party’s establishment wing who have chosen to leave Congress recently. This comes amid the House’s upheaval by GOP hardliners who removed former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., in October.

McMorris Rodgers, who was integral to the election of Mike Johnson of Louisiana as Speaker, has been praised as “one of the most respected leaders in Congress” by Johnson.

The congresswoman, born in Oregon and who grew up in Kettle Falls, married Brian Rodgers, a retired Navy commander, in 2006. Reflecting on her time in Congress, she noted the role her husband, along with their three children, Cole, Grace, and Brynn, played in her career.

Her son, Cole, who was born with Down syndrome, was present on the House floor in 2014 when lawmakers passed the ABLE Act, a bill that established tax-free savings accounts for persons with disabilities. This act was applauded by former Rep. Greg Walden of Oregon, the previous Republican chair of the Energy and Commerce Committee, who praised McMorris Rodgers for her work in Congress.

The congresswoman plans to continue leading the committee until her term ends in December. “We will spend this year… to legislate on solutions to make people’s lives better and ensure America wins the future”, she added.

State Sen. Mark Schoesler, R-Ritzville, who first met McMorris Rodgers in the early ’90s, praised the lawmaker for her hardworking ethos, principled politics, and faith. He asserted, “there will never be another Cathy McMorris Rodgers.”

Despite her retirement announcement, McMorris Rodgers did not disclose her future plans, but offered a hopeful note, saying, “The best is yet to come.”

The news of her retirement injects a new dynamic into the upcoming congressional race, where three Democrats have already launched campaigns for the seat in this reliably Republican district.

The Washington State Democratic Party has vowed to work to “flip” the 5th congressional district in light of this announcement. State Democratic Chair Shasti Conrad criticized McMorris Rodgers’ legislative approach, stating they look forward to a change in the state’s Congressional delegation.

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