DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa Democratic Rep. Dave Loebsack announced Friday he won't seek re-election when his current term ends.
Loebsack was elected seven times to represent southeast Iowa's 2nd Congressional District.He was first elected in 2006, when Loebsack beat 15-term Republican Jim Leach in a race still recalled for its civility.
"I have enjoyed beyond my expectations serving the people of Iowa's Second District for the past 13 years," Loebsack said. "Having grown up in poverty, I never would have imagined having the honor of serving as the voice of Iowans in the U.S. House of Representatives."
The district includes 24 counties stretching from central Iowa to the Mississippi River. Major cities include Burlington, Davenport and Iowa City.
Before being elected to Congress, Loebsack was a political science professor at Cornell College in Mount Vernon.
Loebsack says he intended to serve no more than 12 years but decided to seek re-election after Donald Trump was elected president.
"After Donald Trump assumed the presidency, it became apparent that I needed to run for at least one more term in the hopes that I could provide a check on his worst impulses," Loebsack said.
