Rep. Rick Carfagna, a Delaware County Republican, is resigning for job with Ohio Chamber

State Rep. Rick Carfagna was planning to run for re-election in 2022 until the Ohio Chamber of Commerce made him an offer he couldn't refuse.

The Delaware County Republican, who serves in leadership in the Ohio House, announced Tuesday that we would be resigning from office "once my starting date is determined."

"I have been presented with an opportunity to continue doing what I love well beyond my legislative shelf life ...," Carfagna wrote in an open letter to his constituents. "This role will allow me to focus on the issues I believe matter the most for our economy, including workforce, infrastructure, healthcare, education, energy and technology among others."

Carfagna will become the chamber's senior vice president of government affairs, and he will work with former U.S. Rep. Steve Stivers.

“Rick is an outstanding addition to the staff at the Ohio Chamber and we are excited to have him on the team,” said Stivers, who left his own office in April 2021 to lead the Ohio Chamber as president.

Once Carfagna's resignation from the 68th House District is official, it will be up to House Republicans to pick a replacement.

But that task will be a little trickier than usual because the boundary lines for Carfagna's district haven't been finalized.

The Ohio Supreme Court rejected the first set of legislative maps earlier this month. The current district lines pull from Knox and Delaware counties, but the new map approved by Republicans over the weekend would combine parts of Delaware and Morrow counties.

Anna Staver is a reporter with the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau. It serves the Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio.

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio state Rep. Rick Carfagna leaving legislature for lobbying job