A six-term Pennsylvania congressman said Tuesday he would not seek a seventh term, calling himself a believer in term limits.
Republican U.S. Rep. Todd Platts said he planned to “remain an engaged servant of the people” through the end of the year.
Platts, 49, said he has sponsored bills that would have capped terms at 12 years since he arrived in Congress in 2001.
His south-central Pennsylvania district is reliably Republican, and Platts, a York native, was a formidable campaigner, thanks to a dedicated cadre of family, friends and other longtime supporters.
Platts’ district includes York and Adams counties and extends to a large swath of Cumberland County near Harrisburg,
Platts, married with two school-age sons, has regularly commuted the 100 or so miles between his home and Washington, D.C. He said in a phone interview he estimated he has stayed overnight in Washington only about a dozen times while serving in Congress.
Platts said hoped for a more family-friendly schedule, and did not have a job lined up for next year.
“I’m not foreclosing any avenue,” he said, when asked if he wanted to remain in politics and government. “I’m going to look at public and private sector opportunities.”
He serves on the Education and the Workforce, Armed Services and Oversight and Governmental Reform committees.
A lawyer, he was elected to succeed longtime U.S. Rep. Bill Goodling in 2000. Before that, Platts had been a state House member representing a York County district.
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