SALEM, IL —- After taking the weekend to consider his options, Illinois GOP Rep. John Shimkus said Monday that he will stick with his plan to retire, ending a brief flirtation with an opportunity to pursue a top position on the Energy and Commerce Committee.

Shimkus said that he had been asked to stay on by “local Republicans, party leaders in Washington DC and a bipartisan group of rank and file House members,” after Oregon Rep. Greg Walden announced his retirement last week.

Walden is the top Republican on the committee, and Shimkus is one of the most senior members of the party on the committee after him. Rep. Shimkus has held the 15th Congressional District seat since 1996.