After being one of 10 House Representatives to vote to impeach former President Donald Trump, Ohio Representative Anthony Gonzalez has chosen to not run for re-election in 2022.
On Thursday, the former NFL wide receiver took to Twitter to issue a lengthy statement regarding his decision.
The Republican politician started the press statement by mentioning how his goal within politics was to do his job as long as the voters would allow and work to maintain his family.
"Since entering politics, I have always said that I will do this job as long as the voters will have me and it still works for my family," said Gonzalez.
Gonzalez then went on to talk about the reasoning behind why he's chosen to not seek out re-election in 2022.
"Given the political realities of the day, I know this news will come as a disappointment to those who have been involved in our efforts," said Gonzalez.
"You have given me and my family tremendous strength and courage in the face of much adversity these past few months and years. While my desire to build a fuller family life is at the heart of my decision, it is also true that the current state of our politics, especially many of the toxic dynamics inside our own party, is a significant factor in my decision," Gonzalez mentioned.
Gonzalez went on to say that he's hopeful "the chaotic political environment that currently infects our country will only be temporary."
Gonzalez ended by stating how honored he was to serve as a member of Congress on behalf of Ohio.
Gonzalez' resignation comes as he fought to have Trump impeached after the January 6 insurrection at Capitol Hill. Gonzalez, along with his nine constituents aimed to charge him with, "incitement of insurrection," which caused Gonzalez to receive a barrage of backlash from his counterparts.
Gonzalez viewed the January 6 Capitol riots as "a line-in-the-sand moment" within the U.S. and posed itself as a dangerous threat to American democracy.
"I don't believe he can ever be president again," Gonzalez said to The New York Times in January 2021. "Most of my political energy will be spent working on that exact goal."
While the Ohio Republican Party Central Committee voted to silence Gonzalez and call for his resignation in May, Trump campaigned against the lawmaker in June by lending support to his opponent Max Miller.
Newsweek has reached out to Gonzalez for further comments.
