U.S. Rep. Brad Wenstrup has less than a year left in his term before he retires. But if you think he has senioritis, think again.

Wenstrup announced last November that he would not seek reelection, a surprise move for the popular Hillsboro Republican who has represented Ohio’s 2nd Congressional District since 2013. The district currently extends from Clermont County east across 15 counties in southern Ohio.

Wenstrup, a podiatrist, wants to be home, closer to his family as his children grow up, he said.

At the top of his congressional to-do list: As chairman of the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic, Wenstrup wants to wrap up a report on what the committee has found by October.

Wenstrup joined The Enquirer’s “That’s So Cincinnati” podcast to talk about his dozen years representing Ohio’s 2nd Congressional District and what’s next.

Three takeaways from the conversation:

Who will Wenstrup endorse in the primary?

Eleven Republicans and one Democrat are running for Wenstrup’s seat. But Wenstrup said he isn’t planning on endorsing in the race.

Is it because it’s hard to pick? No, Wentrup said.

“Several people have been helpful to me along the way,” Wenstrup said. “They were either contributors or holding political office. And so I thought it’s best to stay out. I don’t want to burn any bridges with some good people.”

Plus, he added, with a field of 11, even he doesn’t know them all.

“My goal is to be helpful to whoever wins the primary, as Rob Portman was for me when I won my primary,” Wenstrup said. “He right away set up a chance for me to go with him because he’d covered that area for a long time and for me to meet people in the district. And he told me more about each of the counties that I didn’t know very well. And so I hope to be able to do that (for the Republican that wins the primary.)

What criteria does his successor need?

There’s not one specific thing, Wenstrup said. One of Wenstrup’s biggest takeaways from his time in Congress is that everyone should come to the job already having had a job.

“I had someone come to me, a young man, who said he’d like to be in Congress someday and ‘What should I do?'” Wenstrup said. “I looked him right in the eye and I said, ‘Do something else first and then you bring something to the table that you can relate to.'”

What’s next for Wenstrup?

Wentrup said he’s not sure what’s next for his career. Congressional ethics laws prevent members from talking about compensation, which makes job discussion before he leaves office difficult.

“People can talk to you about possibilities, but you can’t get too deep into it,” Wenstup said. “You can’t talk money.”

Would he practice medicine again?

“I’ve had three orthopedic groups ask asked me if I’m interested in going back to clinical work, and I think, I would maybe do one day a week or be involved with a residency or something,” Wenstrup said. But it’s too soon to know what that would look like, he said.

Miss last week’s episode? No problem. Listen here. Follow Cincinnati.com editor Beryl Love on X @beryllove and City Hall reporter Sharon Coolidge @SharonCoolidge.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Who did Rep. Brad Wenstrup endorse in Republican primary?