Rep. Phil Roe (R-Tenn.) announced Friday he won't seek re-election in 2020, per WCYB.
The big picture: Roe, the ranking member of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee, is the 25th Republican to announce he will not run for re-election this cycle.
- Roe told the Johnson City Press last month that he would base the decision to run for a seventh term on "personal" reasons and not political factors like President Trump's impeachment.
Of note: President Trump won Roe's district in 2016 by a nearly 57-point margin.
- Roe's congressional seat has been held by a Republican since 1881.
What he's saying:
“The challenges we are facing now as complex as ever, and I still have a lot of fire in my belly. I look forward to finishing my term strongly for the East Tennesseans that I love representing and working with President Trump in favor of the free-market, conservative policies so many of us hold dear. I am equally confident East Tennessee is full of capable public servants who will step up to fill my void, and I am ready to give them the opportunity to do so."
Go deeper: The members of Congress departing in 2020
