adminOn Monday, Rep. Richard Nugent (R-FL) announced that he will not seek re-election in 2016. Rep. Nugent, a former Hernando County sheriff, has represented Florida’s 11th congressional district since 2010. His district encompasses Sumter, Citrus, Hernando, and central Marion counties.
“Although it is immensely frustrating at times, serving in Congress can also be a remarkably fulfilling endeavor. But serving in Congress also requires a tremendous amount of time away from family,” Nugent told Florida Politics.
“As I remarked to a colleague during one of my first months in Congress, ‘It feels like I’ve spent more time away from my wife the last three weeks than I have in the last thirty years.’ Sensing how unhappy I was about it, my colleague tried to assure me that it would get easier with time. In reality, the the opposite was true,” Nugent said.
This decision creates an open seat non-opportunity Republicans are expected to easily win. Nugget ran unopposed in 2014 for the GOP nomination in the primary election. He then defeated David Koller in the general election.
