Longtime state Rep. Metcalfe to retire
CRANBERRY TWP — After more than two decades, state Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, R-12th, will retire from his legislative seat.
Metcalfe, in a news release Tuesday, announced he will not seek reelection to the state House of Representatives in 2022. He has served the 12th District, which includes Adams, Clinton, Cranberry, Forward, Middlesex and Penn townships, as well as Callery, Mars, Seven Fields and Valencia, since 1999. His current term — his 12th — expires Nov. 30.
The 23-year state representative said he announced his decision to his family on New Year's Day. He did not state his specific plans for the future, and neither Metcalfe nor his communications director, Ty McCauslin, responded to requests seeking comment.
“After family discussions, prayerful consideration and affirmation that God is calling me to a new adventure in life, I do not plan to seek reelection for state representative in 2022,” Metcalfe said in a statement. “In the future, I plan to continue fighting in defense of our God-given rights and our Constitution wherein they are affirmed.”
Dick Hadley, chairman of the Cranberry Township board of supervisors, said he had heard rumors Metcalfe planned to retire, but did not know until Tuesday.
“You certainly wish him well in whatever his next endeavor is and appreciate his service,” Hadley said.
County Commissioner Kim Geyer, like Hadley, wished Metcalfe a “happy and healthy retirement” and thanked him for his work for the 12th District.
“Rep. Metcalfe was a long-time advocate of local control and defender of the state and federal constitutions,” Geyer said. “I had the opportunity to work with Rep. Metcalfe during my service on the Mars (Area School District) school board on various issues pertaining to education, and government over reach and intrusion in our public schools. When becoming a county commissioner, we worked on road infrastructure.”
Metcalfe first won election in 1999, succeeding Democrat Patricia Carone who did not run for reelection.Since then, Metcalfe has dominantly won reelection, beating opponents in both the primary and general elections for 12 straight election cycles.Most recently, Metcalfe was challenged by both a Republican candidate in the 2020 primary election and a Democratic candidate in that year's general election. He handily defeated Scott Timko, his primary challenger, receiving 64% of the vote. In November 2020, he beat Democrat Daniel Smith Jr. for the second straight election by a 22.6 percentage point margin.Also in 2020, Metcalfe joined other Butler County and Pennsylvania residents in challenging the results of President Joe Biden's victory in the presidential election. Notably, he and state Rep. Russ Diamond, R-102nd, unsuccessfully challenged Biden's victory by failing to file the challenge in time.Metcalfe also was one of the plaintiffs in Butler County's lawsuit against Gov. Tom Wolf regarding the state's COVID-19 mitigation mandates, one which is pending before the U.S. Supreme Court after an appellate court tossed the lawsuit because, by time that court considered the case, the state's orders were no longer in effect.The longtime representative, in his announcement Tuesday, said his actions while a legislator have been to further a small government.“I am thankful to the voters who trusted me to represent them in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives,” Metcalfe said. “I am honored by the broad and deep base of support from citizens across the state who supported my work to limit government, protect taxpayers and defend liberty.”Eagle staff writer Paula Grubbs contributed to this report.
