Louisiana Rep. Jim McCrery , the top Republican on the Ways and Means Committee, will not seek election to an eleventh term in 2008.
“Twenty years is a long time to serve in Congress,” McCrery said in a Friday night statement announcing his decision. “I believe it is time for me to step aside and let someone with fresh enthusiasm and new ideas step in to represent the 4th District.” McCrery, 58, had been in line to become chairman of the powerful tax-writing panel before Democrats won control of the House for the first time in a dozen years in the 2006 election.
Republicans have the early edge to retain control of the conservative-leaning district that takes in Shreveport and most of the state’s border with Texas. President Bush took 59 percent of the district vote in the 2004 election, winning narrowly in and around Shreveport but more decisively in most of the other parishes (Louisiana’s equivalent of counties) outside that city.
The 4th District has a heavy Republican tilt and McCrery had long enjoyed large winning percentages that regularly topped 70 percent. He ran unopposed in 2004.
But as was the case for many Republicans, 2006 was a different story for McCrery. He was held to 57 percent of the vote against three rivals in an all-party primary that included another Republican and two Democrats. Under Louisiana election law at the time, McCrery was not forced into a runoff because he won a majority in the primary.
In addition to a scramble for his House seat, McCrery’s impending departure will surely touch off a battle for the top GOP spot on Ways and Means.
Rep. Wally Herger of California is the second-ranking Republican on the panel, followed by Dave Camp of Michigan. Sam Johnson of Texas and Phil English of Pennsylvania follow them among committee members who have not already announced their retirements.
McCrery is the third Republican on the panel to say he will duck out at the end of the 110th Congress. Jim Ramstad of Minnesota and Jerry Weller of Illinois are also retiring.
Known for his attention to detail as a legislator and a pragmatic conservatism that allows him to work across the aisle, McCrery is often praised for collaborating with Democratic colleagues where common ground can be found — in contrast to his close friend and retired predecessor on Ways and Means, former panel chairman Bill Thomas of California.
In his announcement, he noted his frustration at being in the minority party.
“I have tried hard this year as the ranking member of the Ways and Means Committee to be a major influence on important issues. Chairman [Charles B.] Rangel [D-N.Y.] and I have developed a very good working relationship and we have had some success in developing bipartisan solutions, specifically in the area of trade. But on tax reform, Medicare and health care reform, and Social Security Reform, our best efforts have come to naught,” he said. “So, given that disappointment and my desire to more fully enjoy the last few years my boys will be at home, I will not seek re-election to the Congress in 2008.”
McCrery shepherded President Bush’s signature tax cuts through the House as chairman of the Select Revenue Subcommittee and sided with the GOP on at least 97 percent of “party unity” votes — those on which the majority of Republicans voted in opposition to the majority of Democrats — in each year of the Bush presidency.
But he was critical of the administration’s response to Hurricane Katrina in 2005. “It seemed like everybody was in charge, and therefore nobody was in charge,” he said.
Several Republican leaders praised McCrery in statements released Friday night.
“Jim’s work on tax, trade and health care policy has had an impact that will be felt for years to come,” said Minority Leader John A. Boehner of Ohio.
National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Tom Cole of Oklahoma insisted the seat would stay in GOP hands in a statement late Friday that described Louisiana’s 4th as a “solid Republican seat” and noted that Republican Rep. Bobby Jindal , who represents Louisiana’s 1st District, prevailed in the 4th in his successful 2007 campaign for governor. He will switch positions in January.
“The NRCC will be meeting with candidates over the next several weeks and we are confident the voters will again, send a Republican representative to Congress in 2008,” Cole said.
Democratic strategists are eyeing Louisiana’s 4th District as one that became more politically competitive as a result of population shifts following Hurricane Katrina.
McCrery is the 22nd House member currently serving who has announced plans to not seek another term in 2008. Seventeen of those 22 House members are Republicans; the total does not include vacant districts.
Gregory Giroux contributed to this story.