Rep. Hackney will not seek re-election

House Minority Leader Joe Hackney announced this morning he will not run for re-election this year. The 16-term Democrat from Chapel Hill offered no reason other than he looks forward to spending more time with his family, his law firm and recreational pursuits.

Hackney has been double-bunked with Democrat Rep. Verla Insko in the redistricting process. Insko has said she will run.

Hackney is a former House speaker who took on a new role as the focal point for the newly underdog Democrats in the General Assembly this year.

Here is his statement:

I have decided that I will not be a candidate for re-election to the North Carolina House of Representatives this year.

At the end of this term, I look forward to a more predictable schedule for my family, my law practice, my family farm, and for the recreational activities I've been missing.

I will serve out the remainder of my term with enthusiasm. As Minority Leader, I will work actively this year for a Democratic majority and a new Democratic Speaker for the NC House in 2013; I will continue to assist our candidates' campaigns and will actively raise money for them, as I have in the past.

I am very grateful to the voters of Chatham, Orange, (and more recently a small part of Moore) who gave me the high privilege of representing them in matters of public policy for 32 years; to the members of the House who elected me Speaker Pro Tem, Majority Leader, Speaker, and Minority Leader; and to the legislators across America who elected me as President of the National Conference of State Legislatures. I enjoyed all of it immensely, and gave it my all. I think I made a contribution.

I have been fortunate to have the assistance of able and dedicated legislative staff throughout this time, and I do not have words sufficient to express how appreciative I am for their dedication to our State.

Betsy, Dan and Will have been unfailingly supportive, as have my law partners, and my brother Jack at the farm, and I thank them for their sacrifices.