U.S. Rep. Bart Stupak, who faced a lot of backlash after voting for the health care reform bill, says that he is retiring from congress, completing his term because of his family needing his time and because of the demands of his district.
But his opponents are not willing to let this opportunity go by.
The Tea Party Express immediately, on hearing of Stupak's retirement, called their journey a victory tour. The Tea Party Express is a bus tour campaigning against those who support health car bill, specially Bart Stupak.
Tea Party said on Friday that Stupak "was no longer able to hide his betrayal of conservative principles." The group has been spending a lot of money on TV ads targeting Stupak.
While Stupak, who is a Democrat from Menominee in the Upper Peninsula, denies that Tea Party has anything to do with his retirement. Stupak has been known for delivering on his promised projects to the district and if he became chairman of a subcommittee, that would definitely could have an effe3ct on policy. Stupak has said that he stands by his vote for health care reform as a promise he made in the first congressional campaign, 1992.
In fact he credits the hope for health care reform as the reason for his staying around longer.
Speaking about retirement, he said that the idea has been playing in his mind for 6 years. He clearly denied that the threats, abuses or phone calls had anything to do with his decision.
