Anonymous ID: b6f3e7 Nov. 8, 2021, 8:30 a.m. No.14951282   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1297 >>1587 >>1812

Republicans look for advantage as House Democrats opt for retirement over re-election [truncated]

Nov. 7, 2021, 3:30 AM EST

By Teaganne Finn

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/republicans-look-advantage-house-democrats-opt-retirement-over-re-election-n1282983

 

REPUBLICANS POUNCE

 

WASHINGTON —

. . .

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, includingDavid Price of North CarolinaandMike 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 includeReps. Ann Kirkpatrick of Arizona;Cheri Bustos of Illinois; andRon 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.

. . .

Just one day after Youngkin's win in Virginia, the NRCC announced it had added 13 more Democrats to its targeted list of vulnerable Democrats.

. . .

Among the House Democratic lawmakers NRCC added to the list are Reps. Darren Soto of Florida; Madeleine Dean of Pennsylvania; and Jennifer Wexton of Virginia.

. . .

House Democrats are betting that voters will reward them for advancing President Joe Biden's generally popular agenda*, which involves showering infrastructure money on virtually every district in the country and sending checks directly to millions of parents. The infrastructure piece was given final approval Friday.

But there remains a national political sentiment that must be overcome.

A recent national NBC News poll found a majority of Americans now disapprove of Biden's job performance, while half give him low marks for competence and uniting the country, which could be a factor in the mounting retirements.

As a means of comparison,in 2018, 37 Republicans declined to seek re-election, versus just 18 Democrats that year, according to political tracking website Ballotpedia.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee isn't sounding the alarm yet, but instead it touted Democrats' accomplishments in a statement, saying they "head into the on-year with record-breaking fundraising numbers, earlier than ever organizing investments, an agenda that’s wildly popular, and a record of accomplishment when it comes to rebooting the economy**."

 

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/republicans-look-advantage-house-democrats-opt-retirement-over-re-election-n1282983

 

*What the fuck are they smoking?

** See *