Whitfield made the announcement in a news release Tuesday afternoon. The Hopkinsville Republican has been in Congress for 20 years. His term ends in January 2017.
Whitfield was a Democratic member of the state House of Representatives in the late 1970s before switching to the Republican party to run for Congress in 1994.
Whitfield said he is most proud of helping to establish a federal health benefit program for the workers of the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant and creating a national forest at the Land Between The Lakes. “Representing the people of the 1st District for 21 years has been an honor,” said Whitfield. “I will cherish forever the countless opportunities to work with them to nurture and strengthen the 35 counties comprising Kentucky’s First District.
Whitfield is under investigation by the House Ethics Committee on allegations he allowed his wife to lobby his staff on behalf of her employer, The Humane Society. Whitfield has denied the allegations and called them politically motivated.
U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell released the following statement on Whitfield: "I first want to commend my good friend Congressman Ed Whitfield on his outstanding career in the United States House of Representatives. Elected in 1994, Ed has delivered for Kentucky at every turn, whether it was championing and protecting the Land Between the Lakes, helping the employees of the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant and their families, or working to support our troops at Fort Campbell. As Chairman of the Energy and Power Subcommittee, Ed has also been an indispensable ally in pushing back against the Obama Administration's War on Coal.
"Ed Whitfield was the first Republican elected to the First District, making him a trailblazer for the Republican Party in western Kentucky. And it is thanks to his hard work and dedication that we can today celebrate the growth of a robust two-party system in the western region of the Bluegrass State. "Ed's leadership and more than two decades of steadfast service to his constituents and our Commonwealth will continue to be an inspiration to myself and the entire Kentucky delegation. "His long career is a clear and lasting testament to all the good that can be accomplished in a life of public service. We will miss him in the Capitol."
