U.S. Rep. Bill Shuster will not seek re-election
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Veteran Congressman Bill Shuster, R-Everett, announced Tuesday he will not seek re-election to Congress.
A Shuster has held 9th District House seat since 1973, with Bill Shuster succeeding his father, Bud, in 2001.
Bill Shuster's announcement caught local officials by surprise.
Shuster said he wants to focus on chairing the House transportation committee. Under House rules, 2018 will be his sixth and final year as chairman. He said he's been working with President Trump on developing a plan to encourage major investment in the nation's highways, pipelines, trains and airports.
“This is a very surprise announcement,” said L. Michael Ross, president of the Franklin County Area Development Corp. “All politics being local, it will create a void for some time for us in Congress. It’s a system based on seniority. We’re going to have to hope that the person (who succeeds Shuster) is going to get established in key committees as quickly as possible.”
The two key committees for Franklin County are the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and the Armed Services Committee, according to Ross. The county is home to congested Interstate 81 and Letterkenny Army Depot.
The inability to stay on as chairman of the House transportation committee "was weighing heavily on his mind" and may have influenced his decision, according to state Sen. Rich Alloway, R-Chambersburg.
The field is now "wide open," Alloway said. Prospective candidates may start testing the water in the next couple of days. Alloway said he had "never even given a thought" to running for Congress while Shuster was in office.
A candidate for Pennsylvania's 9th Congressional District can circulate petitions from Feb. 13 to March 6. A candidate needs 1,000 signatures of party voters to get his or her on name on the ballot for the Primary Election on May 15. A candidate must be at least 25 years old, live in Pennsylvania and have been a U.S. citizen for seven years.
Art Halvorson, a retired Coast Guard captain, announced his candidacy hours after Shuster's announcement.
“I intend to complete my mission to bring conservative principles back into the heart of American governance,” Halvorson said. “America has a golden opportunity to reclaim its greatness, but President Trump urgently needs other outsiders like him to enter Congress and help him.”
Halvorson, a tea party conservative from Bedford County, said he would serve just six years and would refuse a congressional pension. He had been testing the political waters in recent months after running unsuccessfully against Shuster in three previous elections.
Alloway said Tuesday afternoon, "I got a text message this afternoon around 2. It took me completely by surprise. I've gotten a lot of phone calls in the last hour from people encouraging me to run. It's very flattering, very humbling. I haven't even had time to process it. I need to talk more with my friends and family and determine if it's a path I want to take."
Shuster, 56, appeared to be ready for a re-election campaign just a month ago. He had weathered a tough campaign in 2016 when he came under fire for dating Shelley Rubino, a vice president of Airlines for America. A4A, the leading trade group for the U.S. airline industry, lobbies the transportation committee.
Hugh Jones, retired chairman of the Shippensburg University political science department, said he too was surprised by Shuster's announcement. He said Shuster could have weathered any positive or negative impact of Trump's presidency.
"I’m glad I’m sitting down," Jones said. "I felt his seat was safe. I felt that if there had been any scandal associated with the disease going around Washington regarding sexual impropriety it would have come out earlier. Could it be another reason? Anything is possible, especially today. My first reaction is a gut reaction.”
Franklin County Commission Robert Thomas, an officer of the county GOP, said he had assumed that Shuster was seeking re-election until Tuesday afternoon.
"The loss of Shuster has the potential for being a monstrous impact for Franklin County in many ways, particularly his support for Letterkenny, especially for improvements and jobs at Letterkenny," Thomas said. "I've seen him personally go to bat for Letterkenny. Between his dad and Bill, this county has been in a very solid position to get federal dollars brought here for transportation improvements. This being one of the fastest-growing counties in Pennsylvania, and in the Northeast, we need solid representation to adapt to our growing population."
Shuster’s decision mirrors that of his father. Bud Shuster retired immediately after serving his sixth and final year as chairman of the House Transportation Committee. The House ethics committee had rebuked 14-term congressman for allegedly accepting improper gifts and favoring lobbyist the late Ann Eppard. Bud Shuster, then 68, had said he also wanted to spend more time with his ailing wife.
Jim Hook, 717-262-4759
Rep. Bill Shuster's statement
“As we say goodbye to 2017 and greet 2018 with hope and optimism, I want to thank the people of the 9th Congressional District for their support and wish everyone a happy and prosperous 2018.
“It has been one of my life’s greatest honors to serve and represent the citizens of the 9th District for 17 years. It has also been a tremendous privilege to have been selected by my congressional colleagues to be chairman of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee for the last five years. I am proud of the legislation the committee has passed into law, most with bipartisan votes. This is my final year as chairman, and we have much still to do.
Shuster calls for tax reform to fund road construction
“As I look forward to the future, I have had a lot to contemplate as to how to best serve my constituents and the American people over the next year. With much deliberation, consultation with my family, and prayer over the last several weeks, I have decided not to seek election for a 10th term. It was a difficult decision because of my love of this Nation and the people I serve. Rather than focusing on a re-election campaign, I thought it wiser to spend my last year as Chairman focusing 100 percent on working with President Trump and my Republican and Democratic colleagues in both Chambers to pass a much needed infrastructure bill to rebuild America.
“So it is with a happy heart and a sense of accomplishment that I say this will be my final year in the U.S. Congress.
“I want to again thank the citizens of the 9th District for putting their faith in me. I want to thank my House colleagues for putting their trust in me by selecting me as chairman. I want to express my deep appreciation for the hard work my staff has put in over the years. To my friends, I am grateful for your loyal support. Most of all, my love and deep affection to my entire family, especially my daughter, Ali, and my son, Garrett, for their unconditional love, patience, and guidance over the years. "
“May God bless the people of the 9th Congressional District and the United States of America. Thank you!”
