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Republicans look for advantage as House Democrats opt for retirement over re-election
The number of House Democrats retiring or leaving for other offices has crept up, which could give Republicans a chance to hone in on seats being vacated.
Politics
WASHINGTON — House Democrats seemed to have gotten the message from Tuesday's elections: The political winds are not blowing in their favor.
After months of delays and stalemates, House Democrats passed the $555 billion infrastructure bill within days, a measure political prognosticators told them could help reverse the tide of Republican success in elections.
But Republican Glenn Youngkin's win in the Virginia governor's race is likely to have made a lot more Democrats nervous about the ease with which they'll be able to hold on to their seats.
And there is nervousness in some Democratic quarters that the warning will be heeded by some lawmakers in a different way: They'll give up and retire instead of running for re-election.
Retirements in the House have become a hallmark of a party that is expecting to lose power. The logic is often the same: Why stick around and fight another re-election battle if your party won't have any power come the next year?
The number of House Democrats who have already decided to retire or run for another office has steadily been increasing, compounding the party's woes for next year's midterm elections.
“Every Democrat retirement expands the Republican battlefield and demoralizes House Democrats even further," said Michael McAdams, the National Republican Congressional Committee communications director.
In October, House Democrats were dealt a big blow when fixtures of the party announced their retirement, including Rep. David Price of North Carolina and Rep. Mike Doyle of Pennsylvania, who have a combined six decades of experience.
Rep. John Yarmuth of Kentucky, the chair of the House Budget Committee, said in his retirement announcement he'll be turning 75 at the end of his term and wants "to have more control of my time in the years I have left."
Other notable Democratic retirements include Reps. Ann Kirkpatrick of Arizona; Cheri Bustos of Illinois; and Ron Kind of Wisconsin.
So far, roughly a dozen House Democrats have announced retirements or plans to run for a different office. But neither party expects that to be the end of the list.
The redistricting process that is underway in all 50 states is likely to motivate even more lawmakers to call it quits instead of running for re-election.