CASPER, Wyo. - Citing a need to be with her seriously ill husband, Rep. Barbara Cubin announced Saturday that she will not seek re-election next year to an eighth term representing Wyoming.

"In contemplating 2008, my overwhelming consideration has been for the need of my family for me to come home," Cubin told about 60 members of the Wyoming Republican State Central Committee. "I look forward to coming home to be a friend, a wife, a mother, and especially a grandmother."

Cubin, 59, has missed almost half her votes in Congress this year. She has spent much of her time in Wyoming tending to her husband, who has been ill for many years with an unspecified immune disorder. Dr. Frederick "Fritz" Cubin has been hospitalized repeatedly in Casper this year, often in critical condition.

"None of us know how much time we have left, but what I do know is the time that he has left, I want to be with him," Cubin told reporters after her remarks.

Cubin also has missed votes this year following her brother's death and after she broke her left foot. She was walking with crutches in Casper on Saturday.

Cubin said criticism she has received for missing votes played no role in her decision not to run, a decision she began contemplating in April and made a few months ago.

"I look forward to watching a new generation of Wyoming Republicans assume the mantle of leadership in our state, and I relish the idea of never having to see another nasty headline about me again," Cubin told the party members.

By almost any measure, Cubin's grip on the congressional seat has been slipping. She received just 60 percent of the vote in last year's Republican Primary to beat challenger Bill Winney of Sublette County. She scored only a narrow victory over Democratic challenger Gary Trauner in the general election, 48.3 percent to 47.8 percent.

"When it's this close, you probably did something wrong," Cubin she said shortly after the general election. "My first day at work I will try to regain the confidence of voters who may have voted for me in the past but didn't vote for me this time."

However, Cubin has not voted since Oct. 25. According to a Washington Post votes database, Cubin has missed 536 votes this year, or 49.8 percent.

Trauner announced recently that he intends to run again for the seat. Reports filed with the Federal Election Commission last month showed Trauner had more than $168,000 since the 2006 campaign, compared to just $55,000 for Cubin.

In her announcement that she won't seek re-election, Cubin said she hopes to see the seat pass to a fellow Republican.

"We cannot let Gary Trauner win," Cubin said. "He is wrong for Wyoming, he is wrong for America, and I know, working together, he will never succeed."

Trauner, a Wilson businessman, said Saturday he was disappointed that Cubin chose to attack him in her retirement announcement.

"I'm going to run the same positive, issues-based campaign that I did last time, regardless of who my opponent is," Trauner said. "We'll let the voters decide."

Some political observers in the state have said that having Cubin step aside may actually help the GOP retain the congressional seat. Last year's election saw many Republicans break ranks to vote against Cubin.

Asked whether Cubin's announcement might hurt his chances at election, Trauner said, "I'm not a professional pundit. All I can do is go out there and give people a clear choice, for Wyoming and for the country."

Three Republicans have already announced they will run for the seat, including Winney, the retired naval officer who challenged Cubin last year. The other Republicans running are Cheyenne motivational speaker and substitute teacher Swede Nelson and Casper social worker Kenn Gilchrist.

State Rep. Colin Simpson of Cody said last spring that he planned to run against Cubin. But Simpson, son of former U.S. Sen. Alan Simpson, has yet to formally announce his candidacy.

State Party Chairman Fred Parady said he expected from six to 10 candidates to run in the 2008 primary.