Blaine Luetkemeyer, longtime Missouri Republican congressman, won’t seek reelection

Missouri Republican U.S. Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer will not seek reelection, though his departure in what is considered a safe Republican district is unlikely to impact the balance of power after the 2024 election.

Luetkemeyer, 71, announced his decision Thursday. He joins a growing list of House members who plan to retire or seek other office.

“It has been an honor to serve the great people of the Third Congressional District and state of Missouri for these past several years,” Luetkemeyer said in a statement. “However, after a lot of thoughtful discussion with my family, I have decided to not file for re-election and retire at the end of my term in December.”

Luetkemeyer, who was first elected in 2008, represents a large geographic area that stretches from the western suburbs of St. Louis to Jefferson City and Columbia in central Missouri. Luetkemeyer narrowly defeated Democrat Judy Baker in 2008, but in every subsequent election has won the general election by more than 30 percentage points.

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