U.S. Rep. Mike Gallagher, a key Republican congressman, announced on Saturday that he would not be running for a 5th term.
He had angered his fellow Republicans by refusing to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
A House impeachment vote Tuesday fell just one vote short. Gallagher was one of three Republicans who opposed impeachment.
Record numbers of people have been arriving at the southern border as they flee countries around the globe. They claim asylum while they await court proceedings.
He still stands by his decision not to impeach.
“I feel, honestly, like people get it, and they can accept the fact that they don’t have to agree with you 100%,” he told the newspaper, adding later in the interview: “The news cycle is so short that I just don’t think that stuff lasts.”
Gallagher was one of the highest-profile Republicans considering a run for U.S. Senate this year against incumbent Wisconsin Democrat Tammy Baldwin. But he stopped talking about it in June.
