House retirements already outpace average for past election cycles – By Bridget Bowman (Roll Call) / Jan 2 2020
Decisions by 27 lawmakers compares with average of 23 per election cycle, and more could be coming
The number of House members deciding to retire has already exceeded the average for recent election cycles, and more could be coming as lawmakers return to the nation’s capital after the holidays.
Since 1976, an average of 23 House members have retired each two-year election cycle, according to CQ Roll Call elections analyst Nathan L. Gonzales, the publisher of Inside Elections. In 2019 alone, however, 27 House members announced they will retire, opting not to run for reelection nor for another office (these figures do not include lawmakers who have resigned or died while in office).
More than three times as many Republicans, many of whom are serving in the minority for the first time, decided to retire as Democrats. Twenty-one Republicans are retiring while six Democrats are heading for the exits.
Nine lawmakers — eight Republicans and one Democrat — are leaving districts that could be competitive races in 2020, according to Inside Elections’ race ratings. Their exits could be a problem for the parties looking to hold onto their seats, since incumbents tend to have advantages in name recognition and fundraising.
Two North Carolina Republicans, Mark Walker and George Holding, decided to retire after a new congressional map made their districts more Democratic. Both lawmakers signaled they could run for office again in the future.
Continue to article: https://www.rollcall.com/news/campaigns/house-retirements-already-outpace-average-past-election-cycles
