Ohio House Republican who voted to impeach Trump and faced a primary against his former aide says he WON'T seek reelection: Calls former president a 'cancer'

 Ohio Rep. Anthony Gonzalez, who voted to impeach Donald Trump and faced a brutal primary against the former president's protege, announced that he won't seek reelection in 2022.

Gonzalez, once a top recruit for the House GOP, announced his retirement with another denunciation of the president he once sought to boost, calling him 'a cancer for the country.'

Gonzalez was one of 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump following the January 6 Capitol riot. Trump was acquitted in the Senate of 'incitement of insurrection,' and the two-term Rep. Gonzalez ended up getting censured by his own state party.

He cited family reasons – he has two young children – but told the New York times the need for extra security for himself caused a rethinking of his future.

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Ohio Republican Rep. Anthony Gonzalez, who voted to impeach Donald Trump, revealed he won't be seeking reelection in 2022.  He called Trump a 'cancer' for the country

 'That’s one of those moments where you say, ‘Is this really what I want for my family when they travel, to have my wife and kids escorted through the airport?’ he told the paper.

But he also cited the 'toxic dynamics within my own party' in a statement he tweeted out, calling it a 'significant' part of his decision. 

Each of the 10 defectors must contend with pro-Trump constituents in 2022, and Gonzalez, 36, faced a unique challenge in a conservative district running against former Trump campaign and White House aide Max Miller, 32.  

He called the political environment toxic, 'especially in our own party right now.' He represents the state's 16th Congressional District.

'You can fight your butt off and win this thing, but are you really going to be happy? And the answer is, probably not.' He called Trump a threat to democracy adding: 'I don’t believe he can ever be president again,” Mr. Gonzalez said. “Most of my political energy will be spent working on that exact goal.'

Trump has given a series of signals he is considering a run in 2024. 

On Thursday, the day he revealed he won't seek reelection, Trump issued a statement siding with some of the people charged with breaching the Capitol on the day Congress met to count the electoral votes.

'Our hearts and minds are with the people being persecuted so unfairly relating to the January 6th protest concerning the Rigged Presidential Election,' Trump wrote, although electoral challenges by his allies were thrown out of court.

Authorities reinstalled a fence around the Capitol in anticipation of a rally Saturday in defense of those charged in connection with Jan. 6th. 

The former Ohio State wide receiver received his MBA at Stanford.