Rep. Shadegg to retire

Rep. John Shadegg (R-Ariz.) announced Monday that he would not seek reelection

Shadegg, 58, was first elected to represent Arizona’s 3rd congressional district in the Republican wave of 1994. Known for his staunch opposition to earmarks, Shadegg ran for House majority leader in 2006 after Rep. Tom DeLay (R-Texas) resigned from Congress. He lost that race to Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio).

{mosads}“The bottom line is that this is a personal decision between my family and me, about our dreams, goals, and ambitions, and we have concluded that it is time for me to seek a new challenge in a different venue to advance the cause of freedom,” Shadegg said in a statement.

He added that his health is great and that he had raised more than $1 million for his planned 2008 re-election race last year. His expected Democratic opponent, Bob Lord, had raised more than $612,000.

Shadegg currently serves as chairman of the House Republican Policy Committee.

His district, which includes the northern suburbs of Phoenix, is staunchly Republican; Shadegg won his last race, against Herb Paine, by 21 percent, and President Bush defeated Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) there in 2004 by 17 percent.

Shadegg is the 29th Republican House member who will not run for reelection this year.