Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen's northern New Jersey district has grown increasingly competitive. | Astrid Riecken/Getty Images Frelinghuysen won’t seek reelection The chairman of the powerful House Appropriations likely faced a difficult reelection campaign.

New Jersey Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen, chairman of the powerful House Appropriations Committee, will not seek reelection, the 12-term congressman announced on Monday.

Frelinghuysen is the eighth Republican committee chairman to forgo reelection in the House ahead of a midterm cycle that’s building against the GOP. But Frelinghuysen, whose district grew increasingly competitive in 2016, only served one full year as appropriations chairman and was not term-limited in his position, unlike other retiring lawmakers.


Frelinghuysen, whose father served in Congress from 1952 to 1974, represents a northern New Jersey swath of suburbs that continues to drift away from Republicans. President Donald Trump won the district by 1 point in 2016, while Mitt Romney won it by 6 points in 2012. Last November, Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy won the district.

In years past, Frelinghuysen’s seat had been considered so safe that liberal filmmaker Michael Moore once attempted to get a ficus tree on the ballot against the congressman to protest the lack of competitive congressional races. Frelinghuysen previously never got less than 58 percent of the vote.

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But in 2018, he drew several Democratic challengers, including Mikie Sherrill, an attorney and Navy helicopter pilot who’s found national support.

Three Democrats outraised Frelinghuysen in the third quarter, and each has already brought in more money than any challenger Frelinghuysen has faced in more than two decades. That fundraising edge will prove even more valuable in an open race in the expensive New York City media market.

“Representative Frelinghuysen’s retirement opens up a very competitive seat that is moving quickly towards Democrats,” said Evan Lukaske, a spokesman for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. “With veteran and former federal prosecutor Mikie Sherrill’s strong candidacy, and the abysmal approval ratings of Speaker Ryan’s Republican Congress, Democrats are confident that this seat will turn blue next November.”

Republicans say they remain bullish about their chances to keep the open seat in their column. National Republican Congressional Campaign Chairman Steve Stivers said in a statement that “this district has been held by a Republican since the 1980’s, and we plan to keep it that way in November.”

Republican operatives floated several potential candidates, including Assemblyman Jay Webber, state Sen. Joe Pennacchio, Assemblyman Anthony Bucco and Rosemary Becchi, an attorney.

“Republicans are going to have to find and get behind a candidate real quick, which is a challenge, because I don’t think there’s any clear frontrunner to take [Frelinghuysen’s] place,” said Bill Cortese, a Republican consultant based in New Jersey. “On paper, this is a Republican seat, but this is a real fight.”

Frelinghuysen was first elected in 1994 and his tenure as appropriations chairman was marked by budget gridlock but also symbolic victories in the House.

Even with Congress locked in a spending stalemate, the New Jersey lawmaker muscled all 12 appropriations bills out of committee and through the House, the first time in recent memory that had happened. The Senate, however, has refused to accept the legislation, leading to more than five months of stopgap spending bills and a brief government shutdown.

Frelinghuysen also occasionally crossed swords with House GOP leadership. He initially opposed the party’s Obamacare repeal bill and voted against the GOP’s tax overhaul. Speaker Paul Ryan and his leadership team had privately weighed replacing him as chairman on the powerful spending panel, though he was ultimately permitted to stay on.

In October, Frelinghuysen voted against a Republican bill to restrict abortion, in most circumstances, after 20 weeks.

“I have worked in a bipartisan manner, not just in times of crisis but always, because I believe it best serves my constituents, my state and our country," Frelinghuysen said in his announcement. "My father reminded me often that we are temporary stewards of the public trust. I have sincerely endeavored to earn that trust every day."

Frelinghuysen plans to hold on to his committee gavel for the rest of his term, but the battle to replace him — and oversee more than $1 trillion in federal spending each year — has already turned into a closely watched race.

On Monday, Reps. Robert Aderholt (R-Ala.), Kay Granger (R-Texas) and Tom Cole (R-Okla.) said they plan to run for the chairmanship, while several more members are seen as potential contenders, including John Culberson of Texas and Tom Graves of Georgia.

But since Frelinghuysen plans to stay on through 2018, the vote for a successor isn't expected until December or January — and only if Republicans retain control of the House.

Sarah Ferris, Jennifer Scholtes and Matt Friedman contributed to this report.