Indiana 5th District Congressman Dan Burton has decided against running for a 16th term in Congress. He was first elected to the Indiana House of Representatives in 1967 and followed that up by going to Washington in 1983.
Burton won re-election 15 times and served 30 years in the nation's capital. The last two primaries were bruising and the 73-year-old lawmaker faces stiff opposition again this time around but he says that had no bearing on his decision.
"To be quite frank about it, I've been going through campaigns since 1966. That's 46 years and I just am tired of going through that every two years," he said.
Dan Burton says he may be bloodied but he was never beaten. He served in politics since 1967 and in Washington since 1983. Asked about his accomplishments, the Republican cites his fight against autism.
"We were able through hearings and investigations to get mercury out of most child vaccines," he said.
But he is also remembered for his investigations into the suicide death of Vince Foster and President Bill Clinton for illegal campaign contributions.
"There was a whole host of things that we investigated. I am not going to rehash all of that but I thought it was an important investigation we conducted," Burton said.
The president battled back, helping to unearth the revelation that Burton fostered an illegitimate son.
The last two elections were the most difficult of the last 15 he waged. In 2010 he only won his party's primary with 30 percent of the vote.
Republican challengers have stepped up again this time: Dr. Jon McGoff, former Congressman David McIntosh and former US Attorney Susan Brooks who offered only respect.
"We really need to thank Congressman Burton for his decades of service," said Brooks.
Interviewed in his home Tuesday, the congressman said recent polls showed he could win again but "my wife and I talked about it and I just decided that it's time to move on and do some other things and spend some time enjoying life."
Burton says he is not sure what he will do after leaving office next January. Tuesday, he was busy taking calls from well wishers including one from Andy Jacobs, a Democrat.
The fifth district remains heavily Republican under the redistricting plan approved last year by state legislators. It includes all of Hamilton County and the north side of Indianapolis, but lost some rural counties closer to Fort Wayne that Burton carried on his way to winning the 2008 and 2010 primaries.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
