Republican Congressman Frank Wolf, a respected lawmaker who has represented Northern Virginia for 17 terms, said on Tuesday he will not seek re-election next year.
“As a follower of Jesus, I am called to work for justice and reconciliation, and to be an advocate for those who cannot speak for themselves,” Wolf said in a statement. “I plan to focus my future work on human rights and religious freedom — both domestic and international — as well as matters of the culture and the American family.”
The retirement of Wolf, 74, would open up a possible pickup opportunity for Democrats in 2014. Mitt Romney narrowly won Virginia's 10th Congressional District in 2012, but President Obama carried it in the 2008 election.
Since he was first elected in 1980, Wolf has been forceful in protecting federal workers and Virginia interests.
Wolf is viewed as a moderating voice in a House with a vocal faction of Tea Party conservatives.
