NJ Rep. Rob Andrews is latest House Democrat to leave office

New Jersey Democratic Rep. Rob Andrews said Tuesday he is leaving Congress in two weeks.

Andrews -- who has held the Democratic-leaning, suburban Philadelphia seat since 1990 -- will leave office February 18 to join a law firm with offices in Washington.

He said the job just opened and he "had to make a decision this weekend."

Andrews is the third congressional Democrat to resign in the past several weeks, starting with Rep. George Miller in January and Rep. Henry Waxman last week. Both are from California.

Andrews, 56, had been the subject of a House Ethics Committee investigation related to whether he used campaign money for trips to California, where his daughter had a fledgling singing and acting career.

But his departure will end the investigations.

The seat will be open until the general election in November.

Miller’s departure had put Andrews in line to be the top Democrat on the House Education and Workforce Committee.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.