Click to copy

North Carolina Rep. Butterfield stepping down a little early

December 30, 2022 GMT

FILE- U.S. Rep. G.K. Butterfield, D-N.C., asks a question at a Subcommittee on Elections of the Committee on House Administration during a field hearing on voting rights and election administration issues facing Arizona and the Native American community at Phoenix College, on Oct. 1, 2019, in Phoenix. Butterfield of North Carolina is departing his post a few days early as he gears up for a new private-sector job in Washington. Butterfield said in a letter read on the House floor on Friday, Dec. 30, 2022 that he intended to resign at 11:59 p.m. Friday. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File)

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Outgoing U.S. Rep. G.K. Butterfield of North Carolina is departing his post a few days early as he gears up for a new private-sector job in Washington.

Butterfield, a Democrat who has represented the 1st Congressional District since 2004, said in a letter read on the House floor on Friday morning that he intended to resign at 11:59 p.m. Friday.

Butterfield, a Wilson attorney, former state Supreme Court justice and previous Congressional Black Caucus chair, didn’t seek reelection in November. His successor, Democratic state Sen. Don Davis, will take the oath of office on Tuesday as the new edition of Congress is seated.

Butterfield told WRAL-TV in an interview that his resignation was necessary so that he can take a new job at a Washington law firm.

“It’s another phase of my professional life, so I’m looking forward to it,” he said of the new job. “It will be a slower pace.”

Butterfield, 75, said he plans to do lobbying and policy work. While a one-year wait is required before he can lobby Congress, Butterfield said he expects to lobby the executive branch before then.

The News & Observer of Raleigh first reported on Butterfield’s planned resignation.