Reynolds Has No Plans To Retire

Republican Rep. Tom Reynolds has no plans to retire from the House, despite persistent rumors otherwise, an aide to the New York congressman said Tuesday.

Reynolds' name is the latest to circulate in a spate of GOP retirement rumors this fall - most of which turned out to be true. Seventeen Republicans have announced their retirement from the House this year, and GOP Rep. Bobby Jindal will leave in mid-January when he is sworn in as the next governor of Louisiana.

The retirements have sapped enthusiasm for the 2008 election among party faithful because many of the seats are in moderate districts that will be harder to hold. A Reynolds exit would only add to those woes since he served as the chairman of the Republicans' campaign arm during the past two election cycles and was once considered a viable candidate to succeed outgoing Rep. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) as speaker when the GOP still controlled the House.

But the recent retirement rumors are completely false, a Reynolds spokesman said Tuesday. Instead, the New York Republican is working hard to raise money and lay the foundation for his next election, the aide said, hinting Democrats were spreading the rumor to undermine the incumbent's fundraising efforts.