People Are Leaving Congress Because the Job Sucks |
There’s been a lot of buzz in Washington lately about the “exodus” of members of Congress in the 2026 midterm-election cycle. So far, 51 U.S. House members (30 Republicans and 21 Democrats), and nine U.S. senators (five Republicans and four Democrats) out of 35 up for reelection, are not running this year. Another three House members are running against one another after mid-decade redistricting measures. According to ABC, it’s the most combined House and Senate retirements in the 21st century and well over average generally. And the numbers for the House could go higher still, given pending partisan gerrymanders in Florida and Virginia.
From 40,000 feet, you might think the retirements are concentrated among members of Congress who are in danger of losing their seats in November. And there are some retirees that fit this description: Senators Thom Tillis of North Carolina, Gary Peters of Michigan, and Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire were theoretically vulnerable, and according to Larry Sabato’s Crystal Ball, eight of the 54 open House seats are in very competitive districts. But that leaves 46 that aren’t. The single-largest factor in House retirements is the number of people who are running for other offices: 15........