People in the Ohio district that House Speaker John Boehner has represented for decades were stunned Friday by his decision to step down, 35 years after he first won election there as township trustee.
Some said they understood why he was ready to leave Congress, although the timing caught them off guard.
"It's the end of a great run of leadership, from the time when he was first elected," said Harry Prestanski, a veterans' issues advocate in Boehner's home West Chester Township, a northern Cincinnati suburb. "These last few years, he's come under a great deal of attacks ... He's shown remarkable resilience over these years."
Cincinnati Tea Party leader Ann Becker, also of West Chester, has been critical of Boehner over such issues as the national debt and the federal role in education. She had been hearing speculation he would step down, but not until after the 2016 elections.
"I've been disappointed in Speaker Boehner's performance in the past and look forward to a new future and a new representative for the district," she said.
She expects many politicians in the Republican-dominated western Ohio district that stretches across six counties north of Cincinnati to jump at the chance to run after Boehner leaves at October's end.
"They wanted to run, but they didn't want to primary him," Becker said.
Boehner won the seat in 1990 after a primary that ousted the late scandal-marred GOP Rep. Donald "Buz" Lukens, and he handily won re-election every race since. He drew tea party opposition aided by outside funding in 2014 before winning the primary with more than 71 percent of the vote, then the general election with 67 percent.
Under Ohio law, Republican Gov. John Kasich will have 90 days to set the date of a special election. The state's elections chief says both primary and general contests are required. The winner would serve pending the 2016 general election for a full congressional term.
GOP state Sens. Chris Widener, Bill Beagle and Bill Coley live in Boehner's district, as do several state representatives. Candidates must live in Ohio, but not the district.
Miami University political scientist Bryan Marshall, who studies Congress, said the 8th district likely will miss Boehner's clout.
"It's still a safe Republican district, so there's not any kind of uncertainty about the Republicans holding it," he said. "The difference would be in terms of what a speaker of the House means for the district compared to having a rank-and-file member."
Supporters noted the announcement came immediately after a high point for Boehner, who attended a Catholic high school and Xavier University. He met with Pope Francis before the historic papal address Thursday to Congress, which Boehner had invited him to make.
Boehner indicated in January he was unsettled by the disclosure that a Cincinnati-area man had been charged with plotting a terrorist attack against the U.S. Capitol. It was the same week that a former bartender at the West Chester country club in Boehner's golf course community was charged with threatening to kill him, possibly by poisoning his drink. That man was found not guilty by reason of insanity; the Capitol attack case is pending.
Proud of his blue-collar Catholic roots, Boehner often called himself "just a regular guy with a big job." A TV commercial in his last race showed him mowing his lawn and mingling with everyday people in his district.
"Oh, absolutely, he still has great support at home," Prestanski said. "Overwhelmingly, people have high regard for Speaker Boehner."