The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Rep. Graves won’t run in ’20, spurs scramble
Senior-most Republican in Georgia delegation not seeking another term.
Announcement by senior-most Republican in Georgia’s U.S. House delegation seems to take many colleagues by surprise.
U.S. Rep. Tom Graves, the senior-most Republican in Georgia’s House delegation, said Thursday that he will not stand for reelection next year, triggering an unexpected battle to represent the deeply conservative district.
In a letter to constituents, he said he decided against seeking another term because he was “entering a new season in life.”
“An exciting season. So, the time has come for me to pass the baton. Now it’s my turn to cheer, support and sacrifice for those who have done the same for me over the last two decades,” he wrote.
He made his announcement the day after Gov. Brian Kemp appointed finance executive
Kelly Loeffler to fill an open U.S. Senate seat, triggering speculation that he may challenge her in next year’s special election.
Graves and his spokeswoman did not respond to questions about the timing of his announcement and future plans.
It appeared to take many of his colleagues by surprise. U.S. Rep. Doug Collins issued a statement Thursday afternoon saying Graves’ absence will leave a void.
“Tom’s decision not to seek re-election leaves a major hole in the Georgia delegation,” said Collins, a Gainesville Republican. “Throughout his time in Congress, Tom has been a prime example
of the power of hard work and leadership.”
U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson, who is retiring at the end of the year and whose seat Loeffler will fill, said he was sorry to hear Graves would be stepping down.
“His rise in the U.S. House reflects his leadership and his commitment to serving others,” said Isakson, who is leaving the Senate for health reasons. “He is one of a kind — a great Georgian, a great American and a great representative of our state.”
State Democrats cheered Graves’ decision, casting it as an acknowledgement by the congressman that President Donald Trump’s administration and agenda were in trouble in 2020.
“Tom Graves is quitting Congress because he knows the same thing we do: Republicans’ time is running out,” said Scott Hogan, the executive director of the Democratic Party of Georgia.
Avery Jaffe of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee issued a reminder that “Republicans in safe seats don’t usually retire if they think their party is going to win back the majority in Congress next year.”
The governor, meanwhile, called Graves a strong conservative who was committed to “championing the values and principles that make our state and nation great.”
A second exit from GOP delegation
First elected to Congress in 2010, Graves had transformed himself from a sharp-edged bomb-thrower into a more pragmatic lawmaker over the years. That rebirth helped him amass power on Capitol Hill, but it also alienated some conservatives.
A real estate investor who grew up outside of Cartersville, Graves was elected to the Georgia House at age 32, but he quickly fell out of line with powerful Republican leaders.
He created the 216 Policy Group of independent conservatives that often infuriated then-House Speaker Glenn Richardson and his top allies, and then he eventually aligned himself with the fledgling tea party movement.
That alliance helped bolster his 2010 bid to win a strongly conservative U.S. House district in northwest Georgia.
He’s scored overwhelming victories ever since, winning another term last year with roughly 77% of the vote by defeating a little-known Democrat who ran his campaign from a jail cell.
Once elected, Graves earned national attention as the House Republican leading the anti-Obamacare charge that led to the 2013 federal government shutdown.
In recent years, he’s charted a more pragmatic course, amassing influence that made him one of the most powerful Georgians in the U.S. Capitol.
Long seen as a potential statewide candidate, Graves surprised insiders by not submitting his application for the open Senate seat that was filled Wednesday by Loeffler’s appointment.
Graves becomes the second Georgia Republican to announce he won’t seek another term in the House after U.S. Rep. Rob Woodall, who said he was retiring shortly after winning the nation’s tightest U.S. House race in 2018.
Among the possible Republican contenders for the seat are Paulding County school board member Jason Anavitarte, state Reps. Steve Tarvin and Katie Dempsey, House Majority Whip Trey Kelley and state Sen. Jeff Mullis.