The troubling meaning of this year’s congressional retirements
By
Adam Carrington
February 15, 2024 6:00 am
We are used to congressmen running for reelection. But, in surprising numbers, they instead are running for the exits. Twenty-four House members thus far have announced they will not seek another term. Some certainly declined another run due to age. However, the numbers are too high to make that the only explanation.
The retirements seem especially troubling for the GOP. They make up 14 of the 24. Their crop of retirees also included an overall younger cohort than their Democratic counterparts. The youngest is the most recent: Mike Gallagher, who represents Wisconsin’s 8th district. Gallagher is only 39 and was widely seen as a rising star both in the party and in Congress.
This is all true despite the GOP being in the majority. It is taking place even though Republicans have a good chance of increasing that majority in the 2024 election.
What might explain these seemingly counterintuitive retirements? Some have argued it portends an internal sense that the GOP will not do as well as many right now expect in the House and the Senate elections come November. Perhaps that is true, though it seems hard to see what information of significance these congressmen would possess that the general public would not.
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https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/restoring-america/2856367/troubling-meaning-of-this-years-congressional-retirements/
