Politics
Neal Dunn says he will serve out final term in House
Rumors swirled through much of February about whether the Panama City Republican would resign early.
U.S. Rep. Neal Dunn’s Office says he will not leave before the end of his term.
“Congressman Dunn announced last month he will not be seeking re-election. As a dedicated public servant, he will remain in Congress to represent his constituents through the end of this term,” said Communications Director Eleanor Railsback.
The Panama City Republican announced in January he would not seek another term in office, but rumors persisted more recently about whether he would leave much sooner.
That news earlier this month created shockwaves, particularly among Republican leadership when the GOP holds a narrow 218 to 214 seat majority in the U.S. House.
Speaker Mike Johnson has publicly said he would prefer Dunn stay in office until a new Congress is sworn in next year.
“I’ve encouraged him to stay and be part of this, and I think he wants to do that. And so you have to ask him all the circumstances,” Johnson told reporters on Feb. 11.
Much of the speculation swirled in both Washington and in Tallahassee — the state Capitol and a major community within Florida’s 2nd Congressional District — around the 73-year-old’s health and desire to spend more time with family.
A senior Republican strategist told Florida Politics that Dunn would announce an early retirement next week for a “time certain” that will be before the Midterm.
The race to replace Dunn has already drawn a significant list of candidates, including some political heavy hitters who might benefit from running in a Special Election earlier in the year. But such circumstances might involve Dunn leaving his seat vacant — and Republicans a vote short on key issues — for weeks or months heading into a challenging Midterm political environment.
Regardless, whatever competing political interests were pushing Dunn to stay or to go, the decision ultimately fell to the five-term Congressman.
