U.S. Rep. John Linder has announced he will retire from Congress after 18 years.
The Republican from Gwinnett County made the announcement Saturday at the dedication of a new Gwinnett County GOP headquarters. Linder aide Derick Corbett told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that Linder would not be seeking re-election.
Gwinnett GOP manager David Hancock told the newspaper the announcement, which came at the end of brief speech by Linder, caught attendees off-guard.
Linder was one of former House Speaker Newt Gingrich's top lieutenants, and most recently has been an advocate for a sales tax to replace the federal income tax.
© Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.