/ Source: The Associated Press
U.S. Rep. Bob Ney, dogged by an influence peddling probe in Washington, announced Monday that he will not seek re-election.
The Republican had insisted he would not resign, even if indicted over his dealings with now-convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff. In his first primary test in a decade, Ney won 68 percent of the vote May 2 against a little-known opponent.
But in a statement released by his campaign Monday morning, the six-term congressman from Heath in central Ohio said he would not run for a seventh term.
"Ultimately this decision came down to my family. I must think of them first, and I can no longer put them through this ordeal," Ney said.
He plans to serve the remainder of his term, his statement said.