Minnesota State Rep. Ernie Leidiger will not seek re-election to the House after two terms, he said Wednesday.
Leidiger, R-Mayer, said he intends to leave his post to spent time with "an expanding family" and to re-launch a business enterprise.
Leidiger, 60, praised the citizens of Carver County, where his district lies.
"I feel so fortunate to live in the best county in the state where folks are productive, passionate and give back because they truly care."
Leidiger said in a statement. "My number one concern is to continue representing their needs and priorities until the very end of my term."
Leidiger, a U.S. Navy veteran, was elected to the Minnesota House in 2010 and co-founded Operation Homefront in 2002 to provide emergency support for troops and their families. Last year he organized a delegation of state officials to attend the commissioning ceremony of the USS Minnesota, the nation's newest fast attack submarine, in Norfolk, Va.
Leidiger is among four registered mortgagors who owe nearly $500,000 on a property in Mayer that recently foreclosed. Leidiger, who bought the property with his now ex-wife, brother and sister-in-law, said divorce and other circumstances led to the foreclosure, which was in part a business decision.
