--- title: Florida Rep. Tom Rooney Is the Latest Republican Retirement description: So far, 23 Republican members of Congress are declining to run for reelection in 2018. canonical: https://time.com/5165749/rep-tom-rooney-is-the-latest-republican-who-isnt-seeking-reelection-in-2018/ author: Sarah Gray article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-02-20T01:24:02.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-23T19:20:52.834Z article:section: Politics og:title: Rep. Tom Rooney Is the Latest Republican Who Isn't Seeking Reelection in 2018 og:description: At least 23 other Republicans have dropped out og:url: https://time.com/5165749/rep-tom-rooney-is-the-latest-republican-who-isnt-seeking-reelection-in-2018/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltce95732ab57b8f81/69892745ab6d775ad06b1b94/gettyimages-107863892.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: U.S. Capitol building og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Rep. Tom Rooney Is the Latest Republican Who Isn't Seeking Reelection in 2018 twitter:description: At least 23 other Republicans have dropped out twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltce95732ab57b8f81/69892745ab6d775ad06b1b94/gettyimages-107863892.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Rep. Tom Rooney Is the Latest Republican Who Isn't Seeking Reelection in 2018 by [Sarah Gray](https://time.com/author/sarah-gray/) ## Sarah Gray Feb 20, 2018 1:24 AM UTC  U.S. Capitol building U.S. Capitol buildingMark Wilson—Getty Images by [Sarah Gray](https://time.com/author/sarah-gray/) ## Sarah Gray Feb 20, 2018 1:24 AM UTC Florida Rep. Thomas Rooney is the latest Republican who will not seek re-election in 2018, according to [Politico’s Jake Sherman](https://twitter.com/JakeSherman/status/965673040536358914). In a statement tweeted by Sherman, Rooney said, “After what will be 10 years in the United States Congress representing the good people of Florida’s Heartland, it’s time to “hang em up” as my old football coach used to say.” “I look forward to serving Florida again in the future in a different capacity,” he continued after thanking his staff and his family. “Keep the faith. Slainte! Rooney out.” Rooney, whose Florida district included Okeechobee, Sebring, and Punta Gorda, joins a growing list of incumbents not running for re-election in 2018\. According to [Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/List%5Fof%5FU.S.%5FCongress%5Fincumbents%5Fwho%5Fare%5Fnot%5Frunning%5Ffor%5Fre-election%5Fin%5F2018), nine Democratic and 23 Republican members of Congress have decided not to run for reelection in 2018. > [](https://twitter.com/JakeSherman/status/965673040536358914) > [](https://twitter.com/lensmith22/status/965694124916604928) Rooney supported Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) in the 2016 election and “un-endorsed” then-candidate Donald Trump after the infamous _Access Hollywood_ tape, according to the [_Tampa Bay Times_](http://www.tampabay.com/florida-politics/buzz/2018/02/19/rep-tom-rooney-will-not-seek-re-election/). Rooney did not respond to requests for comment Monday. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5165749/rep-tom-rooney-is-the-latest-republican-who-isnt-seeking-reelection-in-2018/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5165749/rep-tom-rooney-is-the-latest-republican-who-isnt-seeking-reelection-in-2018/"},"headline":"Rep. 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