Ark. Blue Dog Mike Ross Won't Seek Reelection

Democrat Mike Ross won’t seek a seventh term in Congress, the Arkansas rep said today. A leader of the Blue Dog Coalition of fiscally conservative Democrats, Ross said he’s considering running for governor in his home state, and another congressional term would conflict with a possible 2014 campaign. Such a move “wouldn't be fair to the people who elected me to Congress and it wouldn't be fair to my supporters in a race for governor,” he said.

Ross opposed President Obama’s health care law and was one of a few Dems to vote to repeal it, USA Today notes. “I believe it is time for me to begin a new chapter in my life by spending more time with my family and exploring new opportunities here at home in Arkansas,” says Ross, the state’s only House Democrat.