US Rep. Duncan says he won't run for re-election next year

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Republican U.S. Rep. John Duncan of Tennessee says he won't run for re-election next year because he wants to spend more time with his family.

Duncan said in a statement Monday that he had thought of retiring before the 2016 election, but decided to run again in Tennessee's 2nd District at the urging of his supporters.

The 70-year-old Duncan was first elected to Congress in a 1988 special election to replace his father, John Duncan Sr., who had cancer and died in June of that year.

A lawyer, Rep. Duncan was a state judge before entering Congress. He serves on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and the Oversight and Government Reform Committee.

Duncan said he has fought for fiscal conservatism, smaller government and "a more humble foreign policy that puts America first."