McMorris Rodgers says she won’t seek reelection

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Eastern Washington Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers announced Thursday she will not run for reelection in November.

The Spokane Republican rose into a GOP leadership role after she was first elected in 2004, then changed course in 2018 and opted to focus on lawmaking. She took the helm of the powerful House Energy and Commerce Committee at the start of 2023 and has been a prominent critic of the Biden administration while advancing bipartisan legislation aimed at reining in tech companies, reducing health care costs and more.

In a statement provided to The Spokesman-Review, McMorris Rodgers thanked her staff and credited her family with giving her support and motivation throughout her two-decade career in the House or Representatives.

“It’s been the honor and privilege of my life to represent the people of Eastern Washington in Congress,” she said. “They inspire me every day. They are part of the strength and soul of America — the greatest experiment in self-governance the world has ever known. After much prayer and reflection, I’ve decided the time has come to serve them in new ways.”

McMorris Rodgers represents Washington’s 5th District, which includes Asotin, Garfield and Whitman counties, along with Ferry, Stevens, Pend Oreille, Lincoln, Spokane, Walla Walla and Columbia counties, as well as parts of Adams and Franklin counties.

McMorris Rodgers, 54, was not immediately available for an interview Thursday. Her announcement comes amid a wave of retirements from the House and Senate, including Rep. Derek Kilmer, D-Gig Harbor, who announced in November that he wouldn’t seek reelection. As of Thursday, 41 House members had announced they wouldn’t seek reelection to their seats.

McMorris Rodgers didn’t indicate what she plans to do next, but she ended her statement with a line suggesting she may not be finished with public life.

“The best is yet to come.”

While a staunch conservative, McMorris Rodgers is one of several Republicans widely seen as part of the party’s establishment wing who have left Congress or announced plans to do so in recent months, as the House has been roiled by GOP hardliners who ousted former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., in October. She is the third leader of a House committee to announce plans to retire this Congress, following Appropriations Chair Kay Granger of Texas and Financial Services Chair Patrick McHenry of North Carolina.

McCarthy, who was elected as speaker in January 2023 after 15 rounds of voting exposed deep rifts in the GOP, left Congress at the end of the year, before his term had expired. After weeks of drama and more failed votes, Mike Johnson of Louisiana was elected speaker after being nominated by McMorris Rodgers, a close ally of the new speaker.

Born Cathy McMorris in Salem, Ore., the congresswoman grew up in Kettle Falls and married Brian Rodgers, a retired Navy commander, in 2006. In her statement, McMorris Rodgers reflected on the role her husband has played in her life and career in Congress, along with their three children, Cole, Grace and Brynn, all of whom were born during her time in the House.

“I would testify today that the greatest blessing in my life has been marrying Brian and becoming a wife and mom — my most cherished titles,” she said. “Brian is my wise and faithful counselor, the one to wipe the tears from my eyes and send me back into the arena. Together, we have been blessed with three beautiful, beloved children.”

She recalled that Cole, who was born with Down syndrome, was on the House floor in 2014 when lawmakers passed the ABLE Act, which created tax-free savings account for people with disabilities. Former Rep. Greg Walden of Oregon, the previous Republican chairperson of the Energy and Commerce Committee who retired at the end of 2020, said of his successor, “I think history will show she did amazing things for the disability community and really brought a sense of decency and honor to Congress.”

The committee’s broad jurisdiction includes health care, telecommunications and the internet, energy, food and drug safety, all interstate commerce and much more. In her statement, McMorris Rodgers said she would continue leading the committee until her term ends in December.

“Especially as Chair of the Energy and Commerce Committee, I’ve seen the best of Eastern Washington and the United States of America,” she said. “We will spend this year honoring the Committee’s rich history — plowing the hard ground necessary to legislate on solutions to make people’s lives better and ensure America wins the future.”

Speaking hours after The Spokesman-Review broke the news of her retirement, Walden said his phone had been lighting up with messages from D.C. insiders who were shocked that McMorris Rodgers would give up her powerful position voluntarily.

In her announcement, McMorris Rodgers thanked her brother and their parents for supporting her since she was first elected to the Washington House of Representatives in 1994. A decade later, she was elected to Congress to succeed then-Rep. George Nethercutt when he staged an unsuccessful challenge to unseat Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash.

In 2012, McMorris Rodgers was chosen by her fellow House Republicans as conference chairperson, making her the highest-ranking woman in GOP leadership.

Former Speaker Paul Ryan, a Wisconsin Republican who served in leadership with McMorris Rodgers until his own retirement in 2018, called McMorris Rodgers “a talented legislator and a valuable member of my leadership team.”

“Cathy was a fantastic advocate for her district and she is leaving Congress with a long list of accomplishments which will stand the test of time,” Ryan said in a statement. “Congress’ loss is her family’s gain and I’m so happy for Cathy and her family as they start this new phase of their lives.”

In 2023, two years after becoming the panel’s top Republican, she became the first woman to chair the House Energy and Commerce Committee. She will leave that position at the end of 2024, despite being eligible for two more years at the helm of the influential panel under a party-imposed term limit.

“Every day, my number one priority is to pray,” she said. “I pray that God’s purpose over my life will be more deeply rooted in my heart and in gratitude for the remarkable colleagues and people He has brought into my life. No matter the division, we must unite in prayer. And as we do, we will bring hope and healing to broken lives, broken families, and broken systems failing broken people. Together, may we always be guided by God’s abundant grace and wisdom to keep the promise of America alive.”