Richard Baker Makes It Official - He's Off To K Street

GOP Rep. Richard Baker (La.) has announced that he will be leaving Congress to take over the Managed Funds Association, putting another vulnerable Republican seat into play this fall.

Baker will officially leave office on Feb. 7, he told a New Orleans radio station this morning.

Baker's departure was "not unexpected," according to the New Orleans Times-Picayune. Baker had notified the House ethics committee that he was in discussions with the trade group about a potential job, and his office said on Monday that a formal announcement was expected in the "next couple days."