The congressman is planning to spend the weekend with his wife pondering whether retirement is really the best thing. Conservative groups are reportedly following the lead of Shadegg’s fellow members of Congress by circulating a separate letter urging him to stay. That may have even more of an effect on him than the appeal by his colleagues.
The main problems with an “I’m-retiring-no-I’m-not” scenario is that it makes one appear somewhat unserious (think Elton Gallegly) and it upsets those who had planned to run. As for the first problem, the sheer number of congressmen trying to talk Shadegg out of retirement could be enough to solve that problem. The second problem is not necessarily that great because his decision would come so quickly after his retirement announcement.
Steve May, a liberal former legislator and gay activist, will run against Shadegg if he gets back into the race.