[caption id="" align="alignright" width="130"] U.S. Rep. Chris Gibson[/caption]

Shira T. Center and Nathan Gonzales are reporting in Roll Call that Rep. Chris Gibson announced his retirement Tue., Jan. 6. The Kinderhook Republican was re-elected to a third term in November. He easily defeated Democrat Sean Eldridge to take the 19th Congressional District seat. Here is Gibson's statement:

"As I stated shortly after retiring from the US Army and first pursuing a seat in Congress in 2010, I planned to self-impose term limits. Accordingly, after much reflection and consultation with my family, this will be my third and final time taking the oath of office as a Representative in the US House. I thank the voters of Upstate NY for this privilege to serve and pledge to continue to work tirelessly on their behalf in this final term. Moving forward, I will be committed to building a stronger team so that the GOP can compete and win statewide in 2018, including the possibility of being a candidate in that cycle."

The rest of Gibson's statement is below:




"With humility and excitement, I take the oath of office today to serve as the Representative for the 19th District of NY in the United States House for the 114th Congress.

"I deeply appreciate the overwhelming support I received in the November election. There was a strong mandate from across the ideological spectrum and partisan divide, something that is rare in the current political environment.

"Going forward our legislative agenda seeks reform across American life, with a focus on jobs and raising the standard of living for all. Specifically, in the 114th Congress, we will be advocating for policies that include:
· Pro-growth tax reform that lowers rates for small business owners and hard working families, and business tax reform that facilitates investment in infrastructure;

· Legislative action that would secure our borders and fix our broken immigration system;

· Responsible regulatory reform;

· Education policy that empowers local school districts, teachers, administrators, parents, and students by rolling back Common Core and makes necessary investments;

· Common sense provisions, grounded in science, that balance the priorities of lowering our energy costs while protecting our environment;

· Protection of our cherished way of life from threats from abroad while standing strong on our Bill of Rights here at home;

· Legislation that honors the service of our nation's military and their families, while serving and afterwards; and,

· A strong local focus that includes federal policies that will help find cures and solutions for chronic Lyme sufferers, expanded access and deployment of rural broadband, support for farmers, and assistance to localities with storm relief and mitigation along with individual casework assistance for constituents.

"Clearly, there is much to be done, and I have great optimism about the future. I have been blessed with the opportunity to serve - and lead - in these areas.

"As I stated shortly after retiring from the US Army and first pursuing a seat in Congress in 2010, I planned to self-impose term limits. Accordingly, after much reflection and consultation with my family, this will be my third and final time taking the oath of office as a Representative in the US House. I thank the voters of Upstate NY for this privilege to serve and pledge to continue to work tirelessly on their behalf in this final term.
“Moving forward, I will be committed to building a stronger team so that the GOP can compete and win statewide in 2018, including the possibility of being a candidate in that cycle."