Washington, D.C. – U.S. Representative Derek Kilmer (WA-06) will not seek re-election in 2024.

In a statement released Thursday, the Port Angeles native said he’s always looked at life in chapters. He listed the decade he spent working in economic development, the eight years he spent in the Washington State Legislature, and the nearly eleven years he’s already spent in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Kilmer said he never intended for this chapter to be something he’d do for the rest of his life, and he said he’s excited to start a new chapter when his term is complete. How will that chapter be written? He didn’t say, but he hinted it will involve public service in some way.

In the statement, Rep. Kilmer said his core mission has been to create more opportunity for more people in more places. He listed his leadership of the Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress (called by some the “Fix Congress Committee”), as something he’s proud of. He also cited his work to help his constituents get broadband access, securing funding for rural ports, fighting for rural hospitals, delivering funds to address flooding, and standing up the new RECOMPETE grant program that helps areas facing persistent economic challenges as the things that motivated him to work for the Peninsula every day.

But Kilmer said it has come with profound costs to his family. Addressing his two children, he said “I am conscious that I didn’t always deliver in the way I wanted; and I hope they will forgive me for that. And I hope they know that I was really trying my best to make the world better for them.”

Where will he go after the end of his term? The Congressman said only this; “I’m a pretty young guy with more chapters in me. My plan is to ensure those chapters enable me to continue to make a positive difference. And I’d sure like to make a bit more time for those I love.”

We reached out to Rep. Kilmer’s staff to see if we could get a brief interview, and were told they’d prefer to let the statement speak for itself for now.

Kilmer’s term ends on January 3, 2025.

(Photo: Rep Kilmer joins Senator Murray in Clallam County in April of this year)