GOP Rep. LoBiondo to retire

GOP Rep. Frank LoBiondo (R-N.J.) announced Tuesday he will not seek reelection in 2018, and pointed to increased political polarization as a reason.

LoBiondo, 71, said minorities in both parties increasingly have made it difficult to get things done.

“People before politics has always been my philosophy and my motivation. Regrettably, our nation is now consumed by increasing political polarization; there is no longer middle ground to honestly debate issues and put forward solutions,” he said in a statement.

“As some of my closest colleagues have also come to realize, those of us who came to Congress to change Washington for the better through good governance are now the outliers,” he continued. “In legislating, we previously fought against allowing the perfect to become the enemy of the good. Today a vocal and obstinate minority within both parties has hijacked good legislation in pursuit of no legislation.”

LoBiondo, who is serving his 12th term, has found himself on the other side of his leadership on high-profile issues in this Congress.

He voted against ObamaCare repeal and is opposed to the GOP’s new tax-reform bill.

He said he is not retiring for any health reasons, and that he was not worried about being defeated in a reelection bid.

His decision to retire does create a possible opportunity for Democrats.

While Donald Trump won the district in 2016, Barack Obama won it by seven points over Mitt Romney in 2012.

LoBiondo’s retirement was first reported by Harry Hurley, the radio talk show host for South Jersey’s “Hurley in the Morning.”

LoBiondo joins a number of Republican lawmakers who have announced they will not run for reelection. Democrats are counting on retirements to help them win the 24 seats they need to retake the House majority.

The centrist Republican indicated in September that he did not plan to retire after his GOP colleague Rep. Charlie Dent (R-Pa.) announced he will not seek reelection.

“I still have high hopes,” he told The Hill at the time.

LoBiondo oversees two subcommittees in the lower chamber, including the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee’s Aviation Subcommittee and the House Intelligence Committee’s CIA Subcommittee.