Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer, a senior member on the House Financial Services Committee, said Thursday he would retire at the end of his term rather than seek reelection this year.
The Missouri Republican was thought to be a frontrunner to replace Rep. Patrick T. McHenry, R-N.C., as top Republican on the House Financial Services Committee in the next Congress. Luetkemeyer, who is 71, said he made the decision after consulting with family. He represents the 3rd District.
“As I finish up my last term, I look forward to continuing to work with all my constituents on their myriad of issues as well as work on the many difficult and serious problems confronting our great country,” he said in a statement. “There is still a lot to do.”
Luetkemeyer’s retirement could be a boon to Rep. French Hill, R-Ark., who is seen as another strong candidate to replace McHenry as the top Financial Services Republican. Hill hasn’t yet said whether he will run for the position.
Reps. Bill Huizenga, R-Mich., and Andy Barr, R-Ky., are also thought to be in the mix to replace McHenry, who is also retiring at the end of this term. Both said previously they hadn’t made a decision, but would keep their options open.
Related: Luetkemeyer, Hill favorites for top Financial Services Republican
Luetkemeyer is the 18th House member, evenly split between Democrats and Republicans, to announce plans to retire after this term. Another 17 are seeking other offices and two have accepted other jobs and plan to resign. There are also two vacancies, from the resignation of former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., and the expulsion of Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y.
Luetkemeyer first arrived in the House in 2009. He brought to the Financial Services Committee his experience as bank examiner for the state of Missouri and later a loan officer and vice president at the Bank of St. Elizabeth, which was founded by his great-grandfather.
Luetkemeyer chairs the panel’s Subcommittee on National Security, Illicit Finance, and International Financial Institutions. He was the ranking member on the House Small Business Committee during the 117th Congress.
The 3rd District race in Missouri is rated Solid Republican by Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales. Donald Trump beat Joe Biden in the district by 26 percentage points in 2020, and Luetkemeyer won his last election by more than 30 points. He had $2.4 million combined in his campaign account and leadership PAC combined on Sept. 30, according to filings with the Federal Election Commission.
Herb Jackson contributed to this report.
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