Solomon Sharp: “I want to let my constituents and my colleagues know that I will not be running for reelection. Having campaigned for…”

“I want to let my constituents and my colleagues know that I will not be running for reelection. Having campaigned for Congress every other year since 1970, I am eager to spend this year working on health care reform and other vital issues-- for once--without the demands and distractions imposed by a campaign. And as much as I have enjoyed serving here for nearly 20 years, I am eager to move on to other challenges. I would like to seize this moment to say a few words about my family, my constituents, and the Congress. My family, like many congressional families has borne an unfair share of the burdens of public service and has received fewer of the satisfactions than I have. My wife and two sons certainly deserve my thanks. No one has had a more positive impact on my life and certainly on my thinking than my wife KK, better known to her readers as Marilyn. She passionately believes in the potential of each individual and is quick to fight any form of discrimination that curbs that potential. She has opened my eyes to the bigotry that many women face as mothers, as wives, as careerists. My oldest son, Jeremy, now 18, slept through his first State of the Union address in the House Gallery when he was 2 months old; but last week he was hanging on every word of the President's magnificent speech. I am most proud of his willingness to speak up for his convictions. I wish I had followed his example more often here in the Congress.”