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By Ben Domenech Posted in Congress | John Shadegg — Comments (0) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »

Following the lead of more than 140 House members and leading conservative bloggers like our own Rob Bluey, conservative leaders from across the nation are urging John Shadegg to stay and fight on in a new letter, as reported by Michael Clancy of The Arizona Republic:

A group of 16 conservative leaders has joined the chorus of those asking John Shadegg to reconsider the decision to retire that Shadegg announced last week. The group, including David Keene of the American Conservative Union and Pat Toomey of the Club for Growth, tells Shadegg he has been “an inspiring leader on critical issues facing this country,” including health care and government spending.

The letter, sent Tuesday, echoes one sent last week from 145 congressional Republicans that prompted Shadegg give more thought to his retirement plans. Shadegg said Tuesday he hopes to reach a decision sometime Wednesday on the matter.

[snip]

Sean Noble, Shadegg's chief of staff, said the congressman was “stunned, humbled and flattered” by the attention.

“This is pretty significant,” Noble says. “He clearly sees the unprecedented nature of these letters, especially when 20 or so other Republicans announce their retirements and none of them is approached like this.”

Shadegg spent the weekend and Tuesday at home in Phoenix, talking to family members, friends and others about his decision.

We all know how much we wish we could have people like Don Nickles back in Washington in a time like this - here's hoping the Congressman decides soon, and decides to stay.