U.S. Rep. Frank R. Wolf announced
Tuesday that he will not run for reelection in 2014, ending a distinctive
three-decade career in Congress and instantly making his bellwether Northern
Virginia seat a prime battleground in next year’s midterm elections.
Although the 74-year-old Republican has
been a perennial subject of retirement rumors, his decision came as a surprise:
As recently as last week, leaders in both parties fully expected him to run for
an 18th term. But in a statement issued
by his office, Wolf said he plans to turn instead to his longtime work on
humanitarian issues.
“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. “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.”
Wolf has been a vocal and sometimes
lonely advocate for oppressed religious minorities, particularly Christians in
Egypt, Syria and Pakistan. And although he is conservative on many issues, he
has been willing to defend federal workers, squabble with anti-tax activists
and cooperate with Democrats, making him something of a rarity among modern
House Republicans.
Wolf’s decision came just a week after
Fairfax County Board of Supervisors member John W. Foust (D) said he would run for
the House seat.
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