North Carolina GOP Representative Mark Meadows, long one of Donald Trump’s staunchest defenders, is retiring from Congress. Meadows is the 24th Republican not seeking reelection in 2020.
The filing deadline in North Carolina is Friday. Politico’s Playbook writes: “Meadows has not filed — and will not file — for reelection. His state’s political picture has been shaken up by a court-ordered redraw of congressional districts. Meadows’ western North Carolina district has gotten marginally less conservative, but he said he’s confident he would win re-election.“
Meadows is angling for a job with the Trump campaign or in the administration and could leave Congress before the end of his term.
“At this point, I plan to serve the people of western North Carolina until it’s decided that I can best serve the president and the American people in a different capacity. And so while there’s no immediate plans, there’s certainly discussions that have occurred and potentially could occur in the future,” Meadows said.