The 21st, 22nd, and 23rd Democrat House Members Have Announced Their Retirements

Twenty Democrats had already looked at the odds of themselves and the party winning in 2022 -- it's not much fun being in the minority -- and decided to bail.

Now, via CNN, three more say "No mas," and then also say something about "LatinX voters" just to piss people off.

There is a growing sense of gloom among Democrats in the House. And every week or so, when another Democratic member of Congress announces they won't run for reelection in 2022, the mood inside the caucus worsens.

Morale in the House is already markedly low, but as Democrats look ahead to what could become a trying midterm election cycle, the overwhelming belief is that the wave of retirements has yet to crash.

That was captured on Monday when two Democratic members announced they would not seek reelection in November.

First was Florida Rep. Stephanie Murphy, who announced she would not seek reelection after three terms in the House. She stated that her time in office was both "the honor of my life" and "incredibly challenging for my family and me," but her decision comes as the Republican-led legislature in Florida has taken interest in redrawing the district she represents, a move that would have made it harder for the Democrat to hold onto the Orlando-area seat.

Then came California Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard, who said in a statement Monday night that "after thirty years in the House of Representatives, the time has come for me to spend more time with my family."

And then on Tuesday morning, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi confirmed New Jersey Democratic Rep. Albio Sires would also retire.

So far, 23 members of the House Democratic Caucus have announced they will not seek reelection. While it is common for the party in control to see a series of high-profile retirements ahead of a difficult midterm cycle, the sentiment inside the caucus is that even more departures are likely. A combination of political winds tilting toward Republicans, redistricting boxing some members out of easier races and an overall low morale among House members could lead to even more retirements in the coming months.

"We have got a problem here," retiring Rep. Cheri Bustos said of the general morale inside the House. "There are way too many people serving as members of Congress right now who I not only don't look up to, I have zero respect for. And I'm saddened to have to say that."

Cry more.

posted by Ace at 01:32 PM

| Access Comments