Longtime Republican Rep. Pete King won’t seek reelection

Fourteen-term New York Republican Rep. Pete King won’t seek reelection, he announced Monday in an early-morning Facebook post. King joins a growing number of Republicans and a handful of Democrats who plan to leave after next year.

King, 75, has served in Congress since 2003. He cited his family as the reason for returning to Long Island full time.

“The prime reason for my decision was that after 28 years of spending 4 days a week in Washington, D.C., it is time to end the weekly commute and be home in Seaford,” King wrote. “This was not an easy decision.”

The Long Island representative was a Republican in a more moderate mold than many of his colleagues, the first Republican for instance, to sign onto an automatic weapons ban, which ultimately failed, earlier this year.

“It’s been a great run! Thanks,” King wrote in concluding his announcement.

King’s district is heavily Republican, easily voting for President Trump over Hillary Clinton in 2016. But his departure is sure to trigger a competitive race for his replacement next year.