MILWAUKEE (SPECTRUM NEWS) -- The second-longest serving current member of the House of Representatives is calling it quits.
Longtime Wisconsin Republican Jim Sensenbrenner of Brookfield will retire from Congress ahead of next year's election.
“I always knew that I would know it when the right time came to retire,” Sensenbrenner said.
Sensenbrenner who is 76-years-old says he wants to retire on his terms.
“I don't have a major health problem that would be debilitating,” Sensenbrenner said. “Nobody is running against me, so nobody can claim no matter how weak they are that I was scared that I would be beaten in the primary.”
The decision also comes down to strategy. Sensenbrenner hopes there will be a freshman incumbent in office when the time for redistricting comes again.
“Rather than having me in there who obviously would be retiring in a term or two more, so this seemed to be the right time both for me personally and politically, and I have no regrets about my decision,” Sensenbrenner said.
Among Sensenbrenner's favorite accomplishments, passing the Patriot Act and subsequent Freedom Act.
Sensenbrenner is also a proud advocate of the Voting Rights Act and giving people with disabilities the opportunity to find jobs and earn a living.
Fitting in any final achievements will be tough.
“Well, with what time is left, the two biggest problems facing our country are immigration and the burgeoning national debt,” Sensenbrenner said. “There's not going to be time for me to do that. I hope to leave a legacy in saying that this is urgent and undone business.”
Sensenbrenner's district includes part of Milwaukee's suburbs, along with Dodge, Washington, Jefferson, and Waukesha counties, and is considered fairly safe Republican territory.
“Oh there's going to be a scrum of Republicans,” Sensenbrenner said. “They're already starting to make noises and to announce that they're looking at [running].”
Sensenbrenner isn't picking any favorites yet.
“They all want me to endorse them and I said 'Look, you know, I'm not going to make one ecstatically happy friend and make six people, who were not endorsed, enemies for the rest of their lives,'” Sensenbrenner said.
Right now, Sensenbrenner is just grateful for his family, staff and the supporters who made a more than 40-year career possible.
“I am indebted to them,” Sensenbrenner said. “I know I haven't let them down with my conservative outlook. I have always been a committed conservative from high school and I will go to my grave as a committed conservative because it's honestly the way to economic freedom.”
On the Republican side, former state senator and 2018 Republican U.S. Senate nominee Leah Vukmir and current state senate senators Scott Fitzgerald, Chris Kapenga and Dale Kooyenga have all also expressed interest in running.
On Friday, former Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker tweeted that his son, Matt, was also thinking about running.