State Rep. Corey Harbison (R-Good Hope) told 1819 News on Saturday he intends to resign from the Alabama House of Representatives after over a decade in the legislature to spend more time at home with his growing family.
Harbison, 38, was first elected to the House District 12 seat in November 2014, when he defeated then-incumbent Mac Buttram. Prior to that, Harbison was serving his second term as mayor of the city of Good Hope.
Harbison currently works for the city and plans to continue to do so after he leaves the legislature so that he can spend more time with his wife and three young children.
Harbison told 1819 News that he and his wife had their first two children via In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) before his wife conceived without IVF, much to their mutual surprise.
"I was elected in 2014," Harbison said. "I was married, but I didn't have any kids. The truth is, when I ran for that third term, we had no clue. We weren't even trying to. Then my wife got pregnant. That was something that we hadn't planned for. "
He continued, "I want to be a daddy. I want to be at home with my kids. My son is in first grade; he wants to play football and, T-ball and basketball. I'll be honest, I appreciate the people that elected me to serve, but family is more important to me. I just can't juggle it like I need to. I can work the phone all day when people call me and want help. I love helping people. But when it comes to being in Montgomery, it's a task to juggle that and being a dad, too. So I'm just going to go ahead and get out."
Harbison said his exact departure date is not set, as he plans to stay long enough to fulfill obligations and promises made to people and entities in his area. When speaking to 1819 News, Harbison expressed extreme gratitude to his district, saying that service to the people was his primary reason for initially running in 2014.
"That shouldn't take more than a week or so to get all that wrapped up, I hope," Harbison said. "For sure, it will be by the middle of April. Then I can be home, not have to worry about juggling it all, and just get to be home with my kids."
"I really hate to do it in the middle of a term, but it is what it is. Time doesn't stop. I'm 38 right now. If I decide in 20 or 30 years [that] I want to run, then my kids will be grown, and it will be a different scenario. But, right now, it's just time to be with them."
Harbison said he had already informed leadership about his intentions. After he officially resigns, the governor will call for a special election to fill the vacant seat. Harbison said he does not plan on endorsing a candidate in that election but anticipates a heavy field.
Harbison is the second Cullman County lawmaker to resign his seat in recent weeks. Now-former State Rep. Randall Shedd (R-Fairview) gave up his seat last month to serve on State Senate Pro-Tem Garlan Gudger's (R-Cullman) staff.
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