ROSEVILLE - Following weeks of speculation, U.S. Rep. John Doolittle announced Thursday that he will retire at the end of his term because he has "stopped loving" the job. "I am one of the lucky people who got to do what I love and get paid for it," Doolittle said during a press conference held at the Maidu Community Center in Roseville amid supporters and family. "I stopped loving it." Doolittle, 57, said he made the decision very recently, following a conversation with his wife, Julie. "It was not my initial intent to retire, and I fully expected to run again right up until very recently," Doolittle said. "We were ready for a change after spending almost all our entire married lives with me in public service. And we are looking forward to a new chapter in our lives." Doolittle, who is in his ninth term, is under federal investigation over his ties to imprisoned lobbyist Jack Abramoff. He has denied wrongdoing and had continuously insisted he would run again. But Doolittle has been under growing political pressure since an FBI raid on his Virginia home in April, where investigators removed records and a computer related to the bookkeeping business of his wife, Julie. She had worked for Abramoff and also worked for Doolittle as a fundraiser, receiving a 15 percent commission. Several grand jury subpoenas to the congressman and his aides followed the raid. Doolittle is currently contesting subpoenas for his congressional records as part of a larger dispute between Congress and the Justice Department over the scope of criminal investigations of lawmakers. That made it unlikely that his legal situation would be resolved before November's election. Doolittle did not mention his legal troubles in his prepared statement Thursday and when asked, said his decision to retire had nothing to do with the investigation. "The time has just come for a change," Doolittle said. "That's how God works in our lives, I can't explain it - He whispers to us." Doolittle said he would wait to endorse a candidate to succeed him and said he doesn't know what his future plans are as of yet. "I haven't spent any time thinking about what we will be doing," Doolittle said. "We will just have to wait and see." Former state Sen. Rico Oller, R-Andreas, announced his candidacy roughly two hours after Doolittle's conference. "The race is on," Oller said. "I love the Fourth Congressional District and I am very excited about being able to represent that area again." Oller, who has been out of politics since losing to current Third Congressional District Rep. Dan Lungre, R- Gold River, in the 2004 primary, represented approximately 96 percent of the district during his nearly 10 years of service in the state Senate. In a statement issued late Thursday, Oller, 49, said he plans to fight for conservative principles if elected. "I believe in the conservative values and principles that helped shape this great nation, and that's the leadership I will take with me to Washington, D.C.," Oller said. "Voters in this district deserve a candidate who will fight vigorously against illegal immigration, who will resist calls for higher taxes and a candidate who will defend our freedom." Oller joins two other Republican candidates seeking the Fourth Congressional District seat - Roseville military security consultant Eric Egland and Auburn City Councilman Mike Holmes. Assemblyman Ted Gaines, R-Roseville, has formed an exploratory committee, but has not yet announced his candidacy. Gaines said Thursday that he appreciated Doolittle's decision to retire. "I think he made the right decision for the district," Gaines said. "I think Congressman Doolittle did a good job in terms of representing the district for a long period of time and I appreciate his willingness to serve. But my priority has always been to make sure we have strong representation for the Fourth District and I think this now opens the field for other candidates in this race." Gaines said he plans to wait and see who else will enter the race before making a final decision. "There has been a lot of speculation about other candidates getting in and I am just trying to see what the landscape looks like before deciding," Gaines said. "I think the chances are much better now to keep the seat in Republican hands." The Republican front runner will likely face Democrat Charlie Brown, who narrowly lost to Doolittle in the 2006 election. Brown said in a statement Thursday that Doolittle did the right thing by announcing his retirement plan. "I believe John did the right thing today for his family, for the Fourth District and for America," Brown said. "Now is the time to unite as Americans, heal our wounds and move forward to solve the many difficult challenges we face both here in Congress, and across the country we love." Eric Egland said Thursday that he wished the Doolittle family well but that it was "great day for Republicans" and he was happy to "stop discussing scandal and finally get back to issues." "As this race enters a new phase, I will continue to lead the charge to clean up Washington," Egland said. "After speaking with hundreds of voters, I know that they are fed up with politics as usual. They won't stand for a simple shuffle among the career politicians. They want a new direction." Doolittle supporters stood by the embattled Congressman Thursday, expressing their gratitude for his many years of service. "I appreciate all of his hard work and am very thankful for his service," said Placer County Supervisor Kirk Uhler. "I don't think the Republican Party is damaged at all. Even though we have had inner-party skirmishes in Placer County we have gotten through just fine and have come out stronger." Uhler said he anticipates an exciting race and is reserving his endorsement until he sees who enters the contest. "Rest assured it will be fluid for a while and when we find out who's in and who's out, then I would expect to see a little bit of fur flying," Uhler said. Sam Aanestad, District 4 state Sen., R-Grass Valley, said he could understand that the amount of pressure Doolittle has been under for years could have influenced his decision not to seek a 10th term. "I have know John for 25 years and he has never once told me something that was not true and I don't believe he is capable of intentionally breaking the law," Aanestad said." I think that this kind of pressure might have contributed (to his decision) but he had a clear vision of where he wanted to go - no one pushed him out of this race." The Journal's Jenna Nielsen can be reached at jennan@goldcountrymedia.com or comment on this story at auburnjournal.com.