Rep. Jon Runyan (R-N.J.) won’t seek reelection next year because he doesn’t want to be a career politician, the congressman said on Thursday.
“After a great deal of thought and discussions with my family, I have decided not to seek re-election in 2014,” Runyan said. “Politics shouldn’t be a career, and I never intended to make it one.”
Runyan had a 14-year career in the National Football League before he was first elected to represent New Jersey’s 3rd congressional district in 2010.
Runyan serves on the House Armed Services Committee, the Veterans Affairs Committee and the Natural Resources Committee, as well as numerous subcommittees.
“While it has truly been an honor to serve the people of New Jersey’s 3rd congressional district, at this stage in my life, and more importantly, the lives of my three children, spending time with them is my top priority,” Runyan said. “As I serve out the rest of my term, I will continue to work hard on behalf of the people of south Jersey.”
Outside of football stadiums and Capitol Hill, Runyan has become known for his support of charitable organizations. He has worked with the New Jersey Special Olympics, USO, Leukemia-Lymphoma Society, the American Red Cross, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation.