"I will not be seeking re-election to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2008," Renzi, a Republican, said in a written statement. "I am honored and thankful to serve Arizona's 1st District and appreciate all that we have accomplished together over the past 6 years."
The announcement by Renzi, the subject of a federal corruption probe, had been widely expected by political operatives and analysts. Both national parties will now focus their energy and money on the Arizona seat in the 2008 elections, guaranteeing a fierce battle that could help determine control of Congress. Even before Renzi's announcement, candidates from both parties had been lining up to challenge the three-term Republican.
For Republicans, the news came
as both a relief - defending the seat with Renzi on the ballot
would have been difficult - and as a sign that the party has not
yet escaped all the scandals that helped Democrats win control
of the House last year.
For Democrats, the news was not enough: They want Renzi to step
down now rather than waiting until his term expires in January
2009.
"Rick Renzi's decision to keep his seat, with the Republican
Party's blessing, is the height of arrogance and selfishness. He
can't even participate in committee hearings on Capitol Hill.
How does he think he is serving his constituents?" said Don
Bivens, chairman of the Arizona Democratic Party.
Renzi and his aides could not be reached Thursday to comment
beyond the statement.
Land-swap involvement
Federal authorities are investigating Renzi's involvement in proposed 2005 Arizona land swaps. The prospect of trading land with the federal government helped raise the value of property that a former Renzi business partner sold. But the deals fell apart because the copper-mining company that sought the swap was uncomfortable about Renzi's ties to the players.Renzi has maintained that he did nothing wrong, and his statement Thursday made no mention of the investigation.
Justice Department officials had no immediate comment on Renzi's announcement.
If history is an indication, it may not affect the inquiry. Two other embattled Republican lawmakers, Bob Ney of Ohio and Randy "Duke" Cunningham of California, announced their retirements in the past two years, only to see federal grand-jury indictments follow soon after. Both resigned before their terms expired.
Renzi, meanwhile, stepped down from the House Intelligence Committee in April after the FBI raided his family business, seeking paperwork in connection with the investigation. A week later, he stepped down from two other committees and quit a GOP fundraising program for vulnerable incumbents.
He had only $20,418 in his campaign account at the end of June and owed more than $450,000, mostly in legal bills.
Renzi was first elected in 2002, a year after he bought a house in Arizona's newly drawn 1st Congressional District. Though he grew up in Sierra Vista and graduated from Northern Arizona University, Renzi's ties to the state and the sprawling district he represented were fairly thin before he ran for office.
He spent most of the 1980s and 1990s working and living near Washington but moved to Arizona in 2000 to set up the investment and insurance businesses that now play a key role in allegations against him.
He won three races in his district, even though Democrats have more registered voters there than Republicans. But he was always on the list of top Democratic targets. Even before he announced plans to retire, three Democrats - Tempe lawyer Howard Shanker, former TV reporter Mary Kim Titla and former state Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick - had declared their candidacy.
Republicans have been quietly planning for Renzi to retire, as well. GOP leaders will soon begin meeting with a handful of possible candidates, including former state Senate President Ken Bennett, state Rep. Bill Konopnicki, state Sen. Tom O'Halleran, rancher Steve Pierce and Corporation Commissioner Kris Mayes.
"Arizona's 1st Congressional District is a Republican seat, and we have every intention of keeping it that way," Oklahoma Rep. Tom Cole, who chairs the National Republican Congressional Committee, said in a written statement.
Democrats also pledged a tough fight to win the seat.
"The people of Arizona's 1st Congressional District deserve to be represented by someone who puts them first and is free of criminal and ethical scandal," Jennifer Crider, a spokeswoman for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, said in a written statement.
Renzi has established himself as a reliable conservative vote on most issues and a loyalist to President Bush, who frequently came to the state to raise money for him. He focused heavily on Arizona issues, staying away from the national spotlight despite a seat on the high-profile intelligence panel, though he also traveled to Iraq and Afghanistan frequently.
Renzi focused on conservation issues, as well, pushing through a land exchange for the Yavapai Ranch and helping settle water claims by the Gila River Indian Community.
Once Democrats took control of the House this year, Renzi broke with GOP leaders more often, voting to raise the minimum wage, lower interest rates on student loans and allow the federal government to negotiate drug prices for Medicare patients.
But throughout his career, he was dogged by ethical questions rooted in his business deals.
In 2004, the Federal Election Commission found Renzi had improperly lent more than $369,000 from his businesses to his campaign in 2002, violating a ban on political contributions by corporations.
The FEC's audit showed Renzi frequently moved money among his business and personal accounts, borrowing hundreds of thousands of dollars from his companies, lending money back to his businesses and, at one point, having his campaign committee repay him $6,000 more than he had lent it.
The commission settled its investigation only after Renzi paid more than $320,000 in federal and state back taxes and documented nearly $600,000 in previously undisclosed payments from his business to himself and his wife, Roberta.
Renzi's campaign also paid the FEC $25,000 in fines because he misreported contributions and expenses in 2002.
Probe publicized
Meanwhile, federal law-enforcement authorities were looking into Renzi's proposed legislation to swap private land with federal land near the San Pedro River, a deal that boosted the value of land owned by a business partner.The investigation into the deal became public in October, not long before Election Day. Renzi's campaign accused his opponent of leaking the story to hurt him politically. At the time, investigators had not yet contacted Renzi.
When the Justice Department forced Arizona U.S. Attorney Paul Charlton, who had ordered the investigation, to resign, Democrats in Congress and in Arizona speculated that he was being punished for the Renzi investigation.
