In reversal, House Homeland Security chairman now says he'll seek reelection to Congress

FILE – House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark Green, R-Tenn., delivers a statement as the House Rules Committee meets to prepare the articles of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas for a floor vote, at the Capitol in Washington, Monday, Feb. 5, 2024. Nearly two weeks after announcing he would not seek reelection, Green reversed course Thursday, Feb. 29, 2024, and announced he will pursue a fourth term after all. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Nearly two weeks after announcing he would not seek reelection, Tennessee Congressman Mark Green reversed course Thursday and announced he will pursue a fourth term after all.

The Republican said he has received “countless calls” from constituents and colleagues asking him to reconsider, including from former President Donald Trump.

“I was reminded of the words of General McArthur on a statue at West Point: ‘Duty, honor, country,’” Green said in a statement. “I realized once again: I had a duty to my country to fulfill. I will be running for reelection so I can be here on Day 1 next year to help President Trump end this border crisis once and for all.”

Earlier this month, Green declared it was “time for me to return home” and pointed to the successful impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas just the day before as time to move on. The retirement announcement was one of three Republican chairs of House committee who said they would not be seeking reelection.

Green later told The Associated Press he wanted to get in front of a pending story about his retirement that had leaked to the news media.

In the days following, there was muted excitement over who would run as a Republican to fill Green’s seat. Former state Rep. Brandon Ogles announced he would seek a GOP bid, but many other Republican leaders were quick to disclose they would not run. Caleb Stack pulled petitions to run as a GOP candidate before Green’s announcement.

Meanwhile, former Nashville Mayor Megan Barry is running as a Democrat.

“Today, Mark Green changed his mind and decided to run for a job that just two weeks ago he said he didn’t want – just because his party bosses told him to,” Barry said in a statement. “Green’s flip-flop is just more of the same chaos and incompetence that has marked his time in Congress.”

Green has served since 2019 in the 7th Congressional District, which was redrawn in 2022 to include a significant portion of Nashville. He previously served as an Army surgeon and in the state Senate and is from Montgomery County.

As chairman of the Committee on Homeland Security, Green was a driving force behind the Mayorkas impeachment push over border security in a deeply partisan and highly unusual attack on a Cabinet official. His panel conducted a months-long investigation of Mayorkas, his policies and his management of the department, ultimately concluding Tuesday that his conduct in office amounted to “high crimes and misdemeanors” worthy of impeachment.

In 2022, Green’s middle Tennessee congressional seat was among seats Republicans drastically carved up during redistricting. Those congressional maps are now facing a federal lawsuit, but that case is not scheduled to go to trial until April 2025.