Rich Golick Not Seeking Re-Election

State Representative Rich Golick (R-Sminings) has decided to retire at the end of his term, per the Marietta Daily Journal:

“… After 20 years of service, I will be retiring from the State House at the end of this term. Over the holidays, I took a hard look at the calendar, and the fact is my younger son will be heading off to college in less than four years. When I was growing up, it was just my mother and myself, and I remember very clearly how difficult that was for me. I promised myself many years ago that I would be a fully engaged father to my two sons — especially during the all-important teenage years — but there’s just no way for me to keep that promise completely if I’m running a time-consuming campaign this summer and fall — in addition to fulfilling my private sector job responsibilities — and then serving an additional two years in the State House on top of that. The choice was clear and obvious.”

The lack of a Republican incumbent in this race will likely energize Democrats, who believe they are now competitive in areas where they have previously had difficulty. Consider this race a toss up at least until candidates emerge.