(FreedomBeacon.com)- Ohio Republican Congressman Bob Gibbs announced on Wednesday that he would not seek re-election in November after six terms in office.
In a statement announcing his retirement from the House, Gibbs cited Ohio’s new congressional map which was approved just seven days before early voting began as the reason he chose to not seek re-election.
First elected to Congress during the 2010 Tea Party revolution, Gibbs initially represented Ohio’s 18th district. But after redistricting in 2012, Gibbs ran in the newly drawn 7th district which he has represented ever since.
But in the current congressional map after the 2020 census, the predominantly rural 7th district was redrawn to include some of Cleveland’s suburbs. Only 12 percent of the old 7th district remains on the new map.
But that isn’t the only reason Gibbs has decided to retire.
He is also facing an uphill primary battle against Max Miller, a former aide to President Trump. Miller has been endorsed by Trump even though Gibbs had been a loyal supporter of the former president.
Max Miller was initially challenging Republican Anthony Gonzalez who was one of the ten GOP House members to vote for Trump’s impeachment last year. But Gonzalez announced in September that he would not run for re-election. Then Gibbs and Gonzalez were later drawn into the new 7th District, so Miller decided to challenge Gibbs.
In response to Gibbs’ retirement, Max Miller said in a statement that Gibbs had been a champion of “Ohio values” during his time in the House, adding that Ohioans should be “thankful for his contribution to the state and our country.”
As his retirement comes so close to the start of early voting, Congressman Gibbs’ name will still appear on the ballots in the district. However, signs will be posted at voting locations stating that votes for Gibbs will not be counted.
Bob Gibbs isn’t the only Republican House member facing a primary challenger who has decided to retire. The day before Gibbs announced he wouldn’t seek re-election, Michigan Republican Congressman Fred Upton also announced that he was retiring. Like Gibbs, Upton cited the redistricting map as the reason.
