Viktor Orbán has lost one of his staunchest supporters in the US.
In an unexpected announcement 58-year-old Rep. Dennis Ross (R-Fla.) has indicated that he is leaving Congress and won’t seek re-election in November. He is not alone. Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan has also decided not to run and so far, 59 House Republicans are retiring. Democrats have the best chance in years to take back the House.
Mr. Ross frequently reminded his audience that his ancestors were immigrants from Hungary. He doesn’t speak the language, only his immigrant grandparents did. Mr. Ross has visited Budapest several times and was an active co-chair of the Congressional Hungarian Caucus. Also, he maintained close ties with the Hungarian leadership.
Viktor Orbán and Rep. Dennis Ross
The Congressman had some health issues in 2016 and mailed out a lighthearted message “upon informing some of my family and friends of my scheduled surgery, many were surprised that as a lawyer and politician I even had a heart.” Mr. Ross “needed a new valve and a little re-piping.”
Now Ross says that he wants to spend more time with his family. He is tired of the grind of travel to Washington, pressure to raise money, and the bitter partisanship. “I’m looking forward to getting back to practicing law,” he said, and perhaps teach political science.
Congressman Ross with his family in Budapest at the House of Terror Museum in 2015.
Current Orbánist lobbyist ex-Congressman Connie Mack, a friend of Rep. Ross, is also from Florida. I wouldn’t be surprised if Mr. Ross would return to politics at a later time as a well-paid lobbyist for the Orbán government in Washington D.C.
György Lázár
