Utah GOP Rep. Rob Bishop to retire next year as planned

Republican U.S. Rep. Rob Bishop of Utah says he will retire when his term ends next year as planned after he considered changing his mind and running for re-election.

Bishop’s northern Utah congressional district is heavily Republican, making it an unlikely spot for Democrats to win a seat in 2020.

The longtime congressman told the Deseret News on Monday it was a difficult decision because people were urging him to run again. But, he says he didn’t want to renege on his promise that this would be his final term.

First elected in 2002, Bishop planned to retire in 2020 when his service in committee leadership had exhausted under GOP rules. Bishop has served as chairman of the powerful House Natural Resources Committee, and he is now its ranking member.