Outgoing U.S Representative Mike Doyle's name may appear on a local ballot this November, but he's reminding voters he's not running.
"I said to my wife this will be the first time in 28 years that my name's not on the ballot, and here we are," he said in a news conference Thursday.
Doyle, a Democrat, is serving his 14th term as congressman for the 18th Congressional District. He announced last year he will retire after this term.
Soon after, a Republican also named Mike Doyle announced his candidacy for congressman in the 12th Congressional District. He will face Democrat Summer Lee in November's election.
Rep. Mike Doyle said the names have caused some confusion among voters. His office has been getting calls asking if he has changed parties or is running again.
"That's about the only thing we share in common is the same name," Rep. Doyle said. "We are not related. We come from different parties, and we have different ideas on how the government should be run."
Rep. Doyle believes some residents are receiving robocalls causing the confusion. He wasn't sure what the calls say or where they are coming from.
"I just know that our office started getting calls from people saying they got a call on the phone that I was running, and they wanted to verify whether or not that was true. When it became more than just a couple, we thought it would be prudent to hold a conference and let people know that it's not me."
The 18th Congressional District will soon cease to exist after a new congressional map was released in February. The district was combined with parts of the 12th and 17th Congressional Districts.
Rep. Doyle did not specifically endorse Lee in the race for the 12th Congressional Distrit, only saying he "supports all the Democrats running on the ticket."
The Forrest Hills resident will vote in the redrawn 17th Congressional District.