Ledyard King

THE NEWS-PRESS Washington bureau

WASHINGTON – Rep. Curt Clawson won't seek re-election to his 19th District seat, saying he wants to spend more time in Southwest Florida with his ailing father.

The Bonita Springs Republican won the seat in a special election two years ago following GOP Rep.Trey Radel’s resignation in the wake of a cocaine bust.

Clawson, former CEO of wheel manufacturer Hayes Lemmerz, ran as an “outsider” in 2014 and said he never planned to stay long in Congress. He said the death of his mother, Cherie, last summer affected him and his father more deeply than he had thought it would, prompting his decision not to seek re-election to a full second term.

“With the passing of my mom, it’s a good time to show support for my dad and be close to (him),” the congressman said in his Capitol Hill office Thursday.

Clawson, 56, said he'll finish his term, which expires in early January.

He is expected to make an official announcement Sunday at Doc’s Beach House in Bonita Springs, the same place he announced his candidacy in 2014 with his parents at his side.

One of his closest friends on Capitol Hill, GOP Rep. Dennis Ross, of Polk County, said he was “shocked and disappointed” at the news. But he said he understands the importance of family.

“I lost my mom 10 years ago. I lost my dad while I was up here, and those things you can never have back,” he said. “If you live with the regret of not being where you know you need to be, that’s a terrible regret you’ll never get over.”

Clawson said he began thinking late last year about returning home after it became apparent his father’s health was in steady decline. He said he made the final decision this week.

Announcing his decision now, Clawson said, gives him time to see if he can juggle his congressional duties and his responsibilities as a son. It also provides potential candidates for his seat a month to assess their chances before the June 24 filing deadline.

“It gives plenty of people time who want to consider running," he said. "They don’t have just two days to decide. We wanted to be respectful of the process and I wanted to take enough time to see how I felt.”

Clawson: public should 'pump up volume' on water crisis

Clawson’s unexpected announcement sent a number of potential candidates scrambling Thursday night, including one who announced his candidacy. Chauncey Goss of Sanibel, whose father, Porter, represented Southwest Florida in Congress for eight terms before serving as President George W. Bush’s CIA chief, said on his Facebook page Thursday night he’s running.

Sen. Lizbeth Benacquisto, R-Fort Myers, is a successful fundraiser who’s raised about $228,500 in a year for re-election. She said she is still deciding if she will run.

“Like most, I too was completely surprised by Congressman Clawson’s decision not seek re-election, and will take the next few days to think about how I can best serve our community,” she said. “I wish Curt and his father all the best and thank him for his service to Southwest Florida.”

State Rep. Matt Caldwell, R-North Fort Myers, said Friday he's interested in the post, but will wait and see whether Benacquisto runs for Congress.

"If she decides against it, my wife and I will be having a serious conversation" about him running for Congress, Caldwell said.

Caldwell has also talked about running for the state Senate; if Benacquisto does step down run for Congress, it's likely Caldwell would run for Senate.

Paige Kreegel, who ran for the seat before, said Friday he "probably" will run again. Kreegel, a medical doctor who has a practice based in Charlotte County, also works in Lee and has a home in Estero.

Former one-term state Rep. Tom Grady, a Republican state Board of Education member from Naples and Gov. Rick Scott ally, said Thursday night he’s considering running for the seat and will decide in the coming days.

Byron Donalds, who ran for the seat in the past and now a candidate for a state House seat that includes parts of Collier and Hendry counties, said he is giving it serious consideration, but needs some time to make a decision.

State Rep. Heather Fitzenhagen, R-Fort Myers, said she isn't interested in running.

State Rep. Kathleen Passidomo, R-Naples, said she won't seek Clawson's seat. She is running against Matt Hudson for a state Senate seat.

The 19th District is one of the nation’s most reliably Republican seats, meaning the winner of the Aug. 30 primary is almost certain to claim the seat in in November.

Clawson said his impending departure won’t deter him from working to accomplish his top two priorities: legislation to restore the Everglades and to improve water quality in Southwest Florida. It was his father’s distress about polluted runoff befouling Southwest Florida shores that prompted Clawson to run for Congress in the first place,

One bill would set aside $800 million to expedite repairs to the Herbert Hoover Dike surrounding Lake Okeechobee by Dec. 31, 2020. The other would authorize $500 million for the Interior Department to buy land near Lake Okeechobee to restore the natural flow of water south and away from communities on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts.

Clawson said he's not ruling out a future run for office. The multimillionaire, who financed his congressional bid himself, has enough money – and now a legislative record as well – to be a viable candidate for some other public office.

But he said he won't miss the cut-throat competition among career politicians on Capitol Hill

“The idea of citizen legislators that come without ambition and put the country and their constituents first is what a lot of the Founding Fathers really did envision,” he said. “And if we had more folks that were here on a temporary basis, going to battle for their constituents and then going home as opposed to building a career, I think we’d have a better democracy.”

Freelance reporter Betty Parker and Naples Daily News reporter Alexandra Glorioso contributed to this report.

Twitter: @ledgeking