By Betsy Rothstein
March 20, 2007
White House hopeful Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) will not seek reelection next year as his 30-year-old son prepares to mount a race for his father’s seat.
Duncan D. Hunter, the lawmaker’s son, confirmed late Tuesday that the 110th Congress will be his father’s last.
The younger Hunter, who is working on his father’s presidential campaign, is in Washington this week.
Rep. Hunter’s office confirmed his retirement from Congress. “My understanding is yes. Congressman Hunter does not intend to run for two offices simultaneously and presently does not intend to seek reelection in the 52nd congressional district,” said spokesman Joe Kasper.
Hunter is the only lawmaker running for president who has announced his retirement from Congress.
Until 2005, Duncan D. Hunter was in the U.S. Marine Corps. About a month ago, he says, he moved to Lakeside, an unincorporated area of San Diego. Before that, he lived in Oklahoma, Virginia, Camp Pendleton and Iraq twice.
Once out of the Marines, he says, he moved to Idaho for a year to build homes. Hunter added that he went to high school in San Diego, and graduated from San Diego State University.
Hunter says he will soon formally announce his candidacy, but not on April Fool’s Day. “Not April 1 of course,” he said, laughing. “Maybe a day after.”
Hunter is not necessarily alone in the race to replace his father in the conservative district. Radio host Mark Larson has been meeting with campaign experts to determine his chances.
Hunter said he never intended to go into politics, but had “a change of heart” during his second tour in Iraq. “America is a country worth sacrificing for,” he said, adding that he wanted to “serve the country in other aspects besides the military.”
Hunter insisted that he would not think of his father’s seat as something that was automatically his. “Dad always said there’s no hand me downs in anything. This is going to be a race just like any other race and it’s going to be a hard fight.”
He said he enjoys working on his father’s campaign before he starts his own. “Let’s put it this way, the price is right. I’m a very good volunteer.”
http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/rep.-duncan-hunter-will-not-seek-reelection-2007-03-20.html
