A few weeks before Upton announced his decision, Trump who had earlier endorsed a little-known state representative in a race against Upton switched his endorsement to Huizenga. A former chairman of the Committee on Energy and Commerce, Upton has played a major role in shaping post-Obamacare health care legislation. All rights reserved. Upton is the fourth of the 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump for inciting an insurrection at the Capitol on January 6, 2021 to announce their retirement. He said he worked alongside real giants who put principal over politics. Both did on Nov. 7, the day the Associated Press and other media outlets called the election for the Democrat. Michigan Democrats were also affected by redistricting, with Rep. Brenda Lawrence announcing her retirement in January after her hometown was drawn into a district currently represented by fellow Democrat Debbie Dingell. Despite all of that, Upton who on Jan. 3 will officially leave Congress after 36 years of representing southwestern Michigan and spending nearly a half-century in Washington has staked out a remarkable career. Over the years, he faced several Republican challengers but always defeated them handily. [36] In 2018, Upton and Representative Debbie Dingell worked together on legislation designed to combat opioid addiction. Elected to the House in 1986, Upton became dean of the Michigan congressional delegation, and served as the chairman of the influential Energy and Commerce Committee and as a leader of a caucus of centrist Republicans known as the Tuesday Group. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. [citation needed], Upton was one of three Republicans to vote for H.R. His retiring is a loss for this country and especially the people of Michigan.. As to whether he made the right choice of a career, Upton answers this way: As a huge U-M supporter, football coach Jim Harbaugh asked him whether he wanted to serve as honorary co-captain for a game this year. [100][101] Open Secrets reported that Upton had a net worth of $78 million in 2018, making him one of Congress's richest members. He also served in the Subcommittee on Energy as a ranking member, the Subcommittee on Health, and the Subcommittee on Consumer Protection and Commerce. In all but two presidential elections since he has been in office 2012 and 2020 it has backed the national winner. "As a former boy scout, I believe in leaving thecampground better than one found it," Upton said in his floor remarks Tuesday. Fred Upton is retiring after serving Michigan in Congress for 36 years. He cited several career highlights, including bipartisan passage of the 21st Century Cures . With the redistricting in Michigan that went into effect this year, Upton would have been forced to run against U.S. Rep. Bill Huizenga, R-Zeeland, in the primary, due to new congressional district boundaries that place the two multi-term congressmen in the same district -- Michigans newly created Fourth District. [29] On February 4, 2021, he joined 10 other Republican House members voting with all voting Democrats to strip Marjorie Taylor Greene of her House Education and Labor Committee and House Budget Committee assignments in response to controversial political statements she had made. I wish both he and Amey the best as they start their next chapter.. Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.), a longtime member of Congress who has served in the lower chamber since 1987, announced his retirement Tuesday in an emotional speech on the House floor. Thats put him in a tough place because he also has wanted to be a loyal member of his party. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)AP. He was a member of the Alpha Delta Phi fraternity, Peninsular Chapter, and became a sports editor at The Michigan Daily and thought he might someday cover the Chicago Cubs. A moderate in a 'toxic' place, Fred Upton says goodbye to Congress He built a bipartisan legacy and took flak for impeaching Trump Rep. Fred Upton poses this month in front of his portrait. [31] The essence of his bill was to allow insurance companies to maintain their individual insurance market policies according to state insurance rules that were in effect as of 2013. NOW WHAT? 8297: Ensuring Access to Abortion Act of 2022 -- House Vote #362 -- Jul 15, 2022", "H.R. For that achievement worth billions to Michigan he received death threats. Believing that Trump incited the mob on Jan. 6 to attack the Capitol, he voted to impeach him becoming one of just 10 House Republicans to do so and earning the presidents lasting ire. He was first elected in 1986. Washington After nearly 36 years in office, Michigan Republican U.S. Rep. Fred Upton said Tuesday he plans to retire at the end of his term, declining to pursue a primary fight with a. Thats who I am, he said. Newsletters on topics that interest you most. Michigan is just cratering, he said. We've received your submission. I mean, you know, the top three candidates [on the statewide ballot in November] were all election deniers. We could all learn something from his tenure and strive to live and lead with the values he embodies. And when Trump in 2019 lashed out at the Dingells both John, who had died earlier that year, and his wife and successor, Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Ann Arbor Upton called directly on the president to apologize. But Carra dropped out of the race when redistricting drew both Upton and his GOP colleague, Rep. Bill Huizenga, into the same district, setting up a member-on-member primary. But Carra later dropped out, and Trump switched his endorsement to GOP Rep. Bill Huizenga, as redistricting put Upton on a collision course with Huizenga for the newly drawn district. They were able to roll it out eight to 10 months earlier than it would have happened. After the attack on the Capitol building on January 6th, 2021, Upton was one of only a handful of Republican lawmakers, including freshman Michigan Representative Peter Meijer, to impeach former President Donald Trump for his involvement in the days deadly events. The closest he came to losing was in 2018, a wave year for Democrats nationally, when he beat Matt Longjohn 50%-46%. In the latter, Trump won the district by single digits. When the late Howard Wolpe, a Kalamazoo Democrat who left Congress when his district was merged into Uptons, fired off a letter accusing Upton of moving too far to the right to gain his chairmanship in 2011, Upton fired back noting that there had been Democratic support for rolling back some regulations. in journalism from the University of Michigan in 1975. In a hard-fought race in which Upton accused Siljander of missing dozens of votes and Siljander sent a tape to fundamentalist clergy in the area saying they needed to look at Satan in the face ahead of the GOP primary, Upton won. [39], Upton's website once stated: "I strongly believe that everything must be on the table as we seek to reduce carbon emissions. [27], Upton was reelected with 55.9% of the vote against Democratic nominee Jon Hoadley (40.2%), Libertarian Party nominee Jeff Depoy (2.75%), and Green Party candidate John Lawrence (1.2%). When a mob of Trump supporters attacked the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, as Congress met in joint session to certify the 2020 presidential election for Biden, Upton was alone in his office nearby. We lost at least five Congressional seats, Upton said. "[42] He led a failed effort to stop the Obama administration from enforcing the new energy standards. "Fred knew well that if we are going to deliver real solutions for the American people we need to come together and listen to all perspectives, no matter how complicated the issue might be.". [78], In June 2021, Upton was one of 49 House Republicans to vote to repeal the AUMF against Iraq. Thinking back on his legacy in Congress, Upton points to his shining accomplishment: the passage of the 21st Century Cares Act in 2016. 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. Hes a good person, said Ornstein. I was a Reagan domestic guy, he said. Shortly after Uptons announcement, Trump released a brief statement cheering the decision. [6] He served on the congressional staff of U.S. Representative David Stockman from 1976 to 1980. As unassuming as he is, however, he has been no pushover. Follow him on Twitter @tsspangler. Copyright 2023 CQ Roll Call. Rep. Fred Upton, one of the longest-tenured Republicans in the House of Representatives, has decided to retire rather than seek reelection in 2022. Upton, 68, is the fourth Republican. Contact Todd Spangler: tspangler@freepress.com. 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved, McConnell jokes about his concussion upon return to Senate, Six more Bidens may have gained from family business schemes: Comer, Rep. Jim Jordan responds to Braggs lawsuit, argues court has no power to block subpoena, Truth-challenged NY Rep. George Santos announces 2024 re-election campaign. View Comments. Last year, some of the criticism aimed at Upton turned extreme after he became one of the 13 Republicans to vote for the infrastructure bill. [The commission] made changes that were over 350,000 so that was really the deciding factor.. 4 down and 6 to go. He was in Ann Arbor, alongside Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps (who trained at Michigan) for the coin flip against Penn State and got to remain on the field for the entire game. Longtime Michigan Rep. Fred Upton, one of the 10 House Republicans to vote to impeach former President Donald Trump after the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, announced Tuesday he will not. Mr. Uptons leadership is bipartisan, commonsense, and empathetic, said Governor Gretchen Whitmer. His parents were watching the announcement Tuesday on C-SPAN, Upton said. And he flew in from meetings in Cambodia to make it by game time. Im convinced that we came within minutes of having a massacre on the House or Senate floor, said Upton, describing how he watched the mob move up the streets of D.C., past his office and to the Capitol, and picking up bits of broken glass in the building later in the night. (WNDU) - One of the longest serving Republicans in the House of Representatives is retiring. The negativity, amplified by social media and cable news channels, led to a spate of fringe and in Uptons view, unelectable candidates winning Republican primaries this year. Local Republican groups censured Upton. Michigan Republican Congressman Fred Upton announced Tuesday he won't be seeking reelection in November, becoming the fourth House Republican who voted for former President Trump's impeachment. Even the best stories have. Frederick Stephen Upton (born April 23, 1953) is an American politician who served as a U.S. representative from Michigan from 1987 to 2023, representing the state's 6th congressional district since 1993. Fred and I have worked together on a host of issues including prioritizing the protection of the Great Lakes, leveling the playing field for Michigan agriculture, and supporting efforts to clean up PFAS and lead contamination. Rep. Fred Upton speaks to reporters outside the White House. 4 down and 6 to. Hes been an extraordinary leader.. [61] This bill expanded legal protections for transgender people, and contained provisions allowing transgender women to use women's shelters and serve time in prisons matching their gender identity. Bill Clark / CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images file, GOP Rep. Fred Upton receives death threat after backing infrastructure bill. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. But suggesting John Dingell was in hell, as Trump did, and using the Dingell name in a dishonorable manner, he thought, was unacceptable from anyone." Redrawn into the 4th district, Upton did not seek reelection in 2022, and retired from Congress upon his 18th term's expiration in 2023. [57], In March 2021, Upton was one of eight Republicans to join the House majority in passing the Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2021. [2], Upton was born in St. Joseph, Michigan, the son of Elizabeth B. The other three who have . There are plenty of those in Washington and elsewhere who consider Upton a moderate Republican, a tag that has followed him around for years. [52], Upton introduced legislation to reverse the FCC's ruling on net neutrality in 2015. [38] At the time, he noted that the legislation, ultimately signed into law by President George W. Bush, would "help preserve energy resources and reduce harmful emissions, all while saving American families billions of dollars on their electric bills. It was out of our hands, I mean, it is what it is, he said. Part of his political base in southwestern Michigan was parceled into another district. [28], Upton has been a member of moderate Republican factions The Tuesday Group and the Republican Main Street Partnership. Perhaps most importantly, however, he wrote along with U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette, D-Colo., and with help from then-Vice President Joe Biden the 21st Century Cures Act, a sweeping effort to accelerate medical advances. [71], On January 12, 2021, Upton announced he would vote to impeach Trump in the pending vote on a second impeachment, claiming Trump incited the January 6 United States Capitol attack, becoming the fourth House Republican to say they would vote to impeach. [16], Upton defeated Democratic nominee Kim Clark, 61%38%. Rep. Fred Upton (R-MI), one of the 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach former President Trump in the aftermath of the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, revealed that he has not yet decided if he will run for reelection in 2022, The Hill reports. Upton chaired the House Energy and Commerce Committee from 2010-2016, sat on the House Health Subcommittee since 1991, and is a founder and vice-chair of the Problem Solvers Bipartisan Caucus a caucus that works to gain bipartisan traction on important bills including the recently-passed CHIPS Act. "UPTON QUITS! [34] In 2016, Obama signed the 21st Century Cures Act[35] into law, a bill Upton co-sponsored. 3301; 113th Congress), a bill that would make changes to permitting requirements for pipelines and other energy infrastructure at international borders. News, analysis and scores on Detroit and Michigan sports teams. This is it for me.. Only two of the 10 Republicans who voted for impeachment, Reps. David Valadao of California and Dan Newhouse of Washington, won reelection in November. The late Rush Limbaugh savaged him on his radio show more than a decade ago for embracing more efficient lightbulbs and being too willing to work with Democrats. "It is a little bit in that some of the folks here are so beholden to him that they dont accept those of us that are willing to stand up," Upton said. [40], In April 2009, Upton said that "climate change is a serious problem that necessitates serious solutions. So Ive been here 36 years. [68], In July 2019, Upton was one of four Republican House members to vote in support of a motion to condemn comments Trump made on Twitter calling on four Democratic Congresswomen, three of whom were born in the U.S., to "go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came. By: Doug Reardon Posted. Hes one of the all-time greats, said U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., who will take over as chairman of the committee in the new Congress and is a close friend of Uptons. Debbie Dingell, who has been close friends with the Uptons for decades and said she speaks to Fred almost daily, said she has only seen him angry when people arent treating other people decently., Its just crossing a line, said Dingell, who in the last few weeks of the current Congress, gave Upton a desk in her office as departing members were forced to give up their spaces to prepare for incoming members. He dotes on his wife, Amey, and loudly sings the praises of his staff, calling it the best in the business, all while admitting that, when it comes to the details, Im a little bit of a micromanager.. He thanked his staff and his supporters. But this past spring, Upton announced that after 36-years serving the region in Washington, he was retiring. 3301; 113th Congress), both articles of impeachment against Trump, United States Congressional International Conservation Caucus, "Upton becomes first member of Congress to vote to impeach two presidents", https://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2013/04/david_stockman_former_southwes.html, "Club for Growth Encouraging Upton Primary Challenger", "Fred Upton still faces arrows from the right", "Jack Hoogendyk to challenge U.S. Rep. Fred Upton again for seat in Congress", "Southwest Michigan Politics: Mike O'Brien poll shows challenger in 'dead heat' with Congressman Fred Upton", "Michigan Election Results: Sixth House District", "House votes to remove Marjorie Taylor Greene from committee assignments", "With Enrollment Slow, Some Democrats Back Change in Health Law", "The 2 House Republicans who put it all on the line for Obamacare repeal could lose Tuesday", https://www.cbsnews.com/news/21st-century-cures-act-congress-health-care-passed/, https://wdet.org/posts/2018/05/24/86819-rep-fred-upton-and-rep-debbie-dingell-team-up-to-battle-opioid-addiction/, "Long Live the Lightbulb. He is a member of the Republican Party. If you want a rubber stamp as your congressman, Im the wrong guy, Upton continued in the ad, which touted his work in Congress on taxes, law enforcement and fighting diseases. 113Th Congress ), a bill that would make changes to permitting requirements for pipelines other! 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