Saying he wants to spend more time with his family, New Jersey Republican Rep. Mike Ferguson announced Monday that he will not seek re-election in 2008.

“Being a representative in Congress is more meaningful than I had imagined, and I know that now is the right time to step away from public life to focus more on family life while our children are still young,” Ferguson said in a statement.

Ferguson is in his fourth term representing the politically competitive 7th District in north-central New Jersey. He would have faced a bruising re-election campaign against Democratic Rep. Linda Stender, who planned a rematch after losing to Ferguson by less than 2 percentage points in 2006.

Ferguson is the 21st House member, and the 17th Republican, planning to leave Congress at the end of next year. Five senators, all Republicans, also are retiring.

Just 37 years old, Ferguson will leave the House at the end of next year as one of its youngest members. He was first elected in 2000, at 30, succeeding Republican Rep. Bob Franks, who left to pursue an unsuccessful Senate campaign. In 1998, Ferguson lost to Democratic Rep. Frank Pallone Jr. in the adjacent 6th District.

Ferguson is a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee who has focused on health care and telecommunications issues. He tends to split with his party on environmental, labor and gun issues but opposes abortion rights and generally favors conservative economic policies on such items as taxes.

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