Utah Republican Rob Bishop retiring from House in 2020

Make sure to let us know what you think... we now have comments turned ON below the article!

Rep. Rob Bishop (R-UT), the longest-serving member of the state’s congressional delegation, recently faced a dilemma — continue to serve in Congress at the behest of his strongest supporters, or keep a promise made in a prior election cycle to eventually step aside and make room for others to serve the state’s voters.

Bishop confirmed on Monday that he would do the latter and not seek re-election for a ninth term in Congress in 2020, effectively retiring from his position while leaving open the possibility of continuing his political career in a different area.

Possible gubernatorial run

Utah’s Deseret News reported that while Bishop has ruled out running for re-election to serve the state’s 1st Congressional District for another term, he has yet to completely foreclose the notion of a possible gubernatorial run or the prospect of serving the state in some other capacity.

Bishop made it clear that there needed to be a compelling reason for him to run for governor, and said, “I am not going to run for governor because I am bored or want a job.”

He said that while he was “thinking about” a gubernatorial run, the former school teacher was also considering other areas, such as education, where he believed he could help make a difference in people’s lives.

True to his word

Bishop told the newspaper that he had struggled with his decision to retire from Congress, given the fact that some supporters had urged him to run for another term, but also wanting to remain true to his word about stepping aside when the time was right.

The congressman promised voters in 2012 that once he had exhausted his ability to serve in a committee leadership position he would retire from Congress. Bishop was named the chair of the House Natural Resources Committee in 2014 — and now serves as the ranking minority party member — and his term will end in 2020.

Bishop recalled having met a particular constituent years ago who told him he had been in Congress “too long” and that he made the promise to eventually step aside after having the chance to serve as a committee leader.

“Do I go back to him and say ‘I conned you once. I am going to ask you for one more term, or even two more terms?'” the congressman said. “I need to stick to my original goal.”

Tireless advocate for the environment, military and states’ rights

Aside from leading the Natural Resources Committee — which exerts considerable oversight pertaining to Utah and its abundant public lands and natural resources — Bishop is also a member of the House Armed Services Committee.

The congressman has served Utah well on both committees, whether through the designation of critical lands as national parks and protected areas, the maximization of mineral resources wherever possible, or through his work in strengthening the defense industry and military community by fighting against base closures and helping to win lucrative defense contracts for Utah companies.

Bishop, a strong proponent of the Constitution’s Tenth Amendment and the concept of states’ rights generally, was first elected to Congress in 2003 following a 16-year career in the Utah legislature. His announced retirement in 2020 has now opened the door for a slew of Republican challengers who hope to win his seat and succeed him in Washington, D.C.

1,893 Responses

  1. I blog frequently and I seriously thank you for your information. This article has really peaked my interest. I will bookmark your site and keep checking for new details about once a week. I subscribed to your RSS feed too.

  2. I blog quite often and I really thank you for your content. The article has truly peaked my interest. I will bookmark your site and keep checking for new information about once per week. I subscribed to your Feed as well.

  3. I’m amazed, I have to admit. Seldom do I encounter a blog that’s both equally educative and amusing, and without a doubt, you have hit the nail on the head. The problem is an issue that not enough folks are speaking intelligently about. I’m very happy that I stumbled across this in my search for something regarding this.

  4. Greetings! I’ve been following your site for a long time now and finally got the bravery to go ahead and give you a shout out from Porter Tx! Just wanted to mention keep up the great work!|

  5. An impressive share! I have just forwarded this onto a co-worker who was doing a little research on this. And he in fact bought me dinner due to the fact that I stumbled upon it for him… lol. So allow me to reword this…. Thanks for the meal!! But yeah, thanx for spending the time to talk about this subject here on your site.

  6. The very next time I read a blog, I hope that it won’t disappoint me as much as this particular one. I mean, I know it was my choice to read through, however I actually believed you’d have something interesting to talk about. All I hear is a bunch of crying about something that you can fix if you were not too busy searching for attention.

  7. Howdy! I could have sworn I’ve been to this blog before but after going through a few of the posts I realized it’s new to me. Regardless, I’m definitely happy I came across it and I’ll be book-marking it and checking back often!

  8. Hi there would you mind stating which blog platform you’re using? I’m planning to start my own blog in the near future but I’m having a hard time choosing between BlogEngine/Wordpress/B2evolution and Drupal. The reason I ask is because your design seems different then most blogs and I’m looking for something unique. P.S My apologies for getting off-topic but I had to ask!|

  9. Natural Releaf CBD | New York CBD Store with locations in Murray Hill, NY | Upper East Side, NY | White Plains, NY Serving New York City, NY and Westchester, NY High Quality CBD Products With Lab Test

  10. Hello there, just became alert to your blog through Google, and found that it’s truly informative. I’m going to watch out for brussels. I’ll be grateful if you continue this in future. Numerous people will be benefited from your writing. Cheers!|

  11. I will right away seize your rss as I can not find your e-mail subscription link or e-newsletter service. Do you have any? Please allow me realize so that I could subscribe. Thanks.

  12. Wow, fantastic blog layout! How long have you ever been running a blog for? you made running a blog look easy. The whole glance of your website is wonderful, as well as the content!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Popular