WASHINGTON � Minnesota Rep. Rick Nolan announced Friday he won't run for re-election, opening up a top targeted seat for Republicans in 2018.
"There is a time and a purpose for everything and now is the time for me to pass the baton to the next generation," Nolan said in a statement.
The Democratic-Farmer-Labor congressman, who's serving his sixth nonconsecutive term, represents Minnesota's 8th District, home to the Iron Range, where President Donald Trump won by 16 points in 2016. Nolan carried the district by half a point the same year.
Nolan faced a challenge for the DFL nomination from former FBI counterterrorism analyst Leah Phifer.
Republicans are excited about their recruit in this district. St. Louis County Commissioner Pete Stauber got in the race last year. A former professional hockey player with the Detroit Red Wings operation, he's a lieutenant in the Duluth Police Department.
Nolan had considered running for governor in 2018 but decided against it. Asked if he was planning to run for re-election to the House, Nolan would often say, "Those are my intentions."
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