GOP Rep. Jo Ann Emerson to retire in Feb.
Less than a month after being re-elected to her ninth term in office, Rep. Jo Ann Emerson, R-Mo., announced today she will be retiring from the House of Representatives come February, citing a new job as Chief Executive Officer of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association.
Emerson, whose resignation will trigger a special election in Missouri's reliably Republican 8th district, said she would "miss" her constituents but that she's "excited" about opportunities to impact rural policy making in her new job.
"I am not leaving Congress because I have lost my heart for service -- to the contrary -- I see a new way to serve," Emerson said today in a statement. "I did not go seeking this opportunity, but I am excited about the new challenge it offers to find ways to promote strong rural policy."
While there will be 61 women in the House Democratic caucus in the next Congress, Republicans will have just 16 female members after Emerson leaves, unless her replacement is also a Republican woman.
Last week, after inspiring criticism for appointing an all-male team of committee leaders for the next Congress, House Republican leadership appointed Rep. Candice Miller, R-Mich., to serve as chairwoman of the House Administration Committee.
