Frank Wolf, whose congressional district stretches from the Washington, D.C., suburbs to the Northern Shenandoah Valley, will not run for re-election in 2014.
The news means there will be an interesting and competitive race for the seat held by the Republican since 1980.
“It has been an honor to serve the people of Northern Virginia and the Shenandoah Valley. I thank my constituents for giving me the privilege of representing them in Congress for 34 years,” Wolf said in a statement on Tuesday.
One Democrat, Fairfax County Board of Supervisors member John Foust, had already announced last week that he would run for the seat representing the 10th District, assuming at the time that he would be challenging the incumbent, Wolf, who has managed to hold onto his seat in the moderate-leaning district for 33 years.
Names being thrown out there as possible Republican replacements for Wolf include Winchester State Sen. Jill Vogel and State Dels. Barbara Comstock and Tim Hugo.
The 10th is far from being a safe Republican seat even with Wolf having been elected in the district the last 17 two-year cycles. The moderate Wolf consistently outperformed GOP ticketmates up-ticket, and Republican itt Romney won the district in the 2012 presidential election by a single point over Democrat Barack Obama.
Wolf, in his retirement announcement, said he plans to focus his future work on “human rights and religious freedom – both domestic and international – as well as matters of the culture and the American family.”
“As a follower of Jesus, I am called to work for justice and reconciliation, and to be an advocate for those who cannot speak for themselves,” Wolf said.
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