O.C. Congressman Campbell announces he’ll retire at end of term
WASHINGTON -- Orange County Congressman John Campbell (R-Irvine) announced Thursday that he will retire when his term expires, continuing the large turnover in the state’s House delegation.
“At the end of this term, I will have spent 14 years serving in full-time elected politics,” the conservative Republican said in a written statement. “I am not nor did I ever intend to be a career politician. I am ready to begin a new chapter in my life.”
His term ends Jan. 3, 2015.
Campbell, 57, was first elected to the House in 2005 to succeed Christopher Cox, who resigned to chair the Securities and Exchange Commission. He won reelection last fall with 58.5% of the vote.
Campbell, who previously served in Sacramento, has pursued federal spending cuts, warning about the dangers of a staggering national debt. He also co-chairs the Congressional Animal Protection Caucus.
He made the announcement on Hugh Hewitt’s radio show.
House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield) said Campbell’s retirement will “leave a void in the California congressional delegation and will deprive Orange County of one of its most forceful advocates.”
Last year, California’s 53-member House delegation underwent its biggest turnover in 20 years, with the election of 14 new members after a spate of retirements, new district boundaries drawn by a voter-approved independent citizens commission and a new primary system that pits the top two finishers against each other.
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