Fourteen-term New York Republican Representative Pete King won't seek reelection, he announced Monday in an early-morning Facebook post. King joins a growing number of Republicans and a handful of Democrats who plan to leave after next year.

King, 75, has served in Congress since 2003. He cited his family as the reason for returning to Long Island full time.

"The prime reason for my decision was that after 28 years of spending 4 days a week in Washington, D.C., it is time to end the weekly commute and be home in Seaford," King wrote. "This was not an easy decision."

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The Long Island representative was a Republican in a more moderate mold than many of his colleagues, the first Republican for instance, to sign onto an automatic weapons ban, which ultimately failed, earlier this year.

"It's been a great run! Thanks," King wrote in concluding his announcement.

U.S. Representative Peter T. King seen October 18, 2012, in Woodbury, New York. Getty

King's district is heavily Republican, easily voting for President Trump over Hillary Clinton in 2016. But his departure is sure to trigger a competitive race for his replacement next year.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a fellow New Yorker, said he will miss King on Capitol Hill.

"Peter King stood head & shoulders above everyone else He's been principled & never let others push him away from his principles," Schumer tweeted. "He's fiercely loved America, Long Island, and his Irish heritage and left a lasting mark on all 3 I. will miss him in Congress & value his friendship."