People Are Leaving Congress Because the Job Sucks

"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 each other 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."

"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 who are running for other offices: 15 House members (eight Republicans, seven Democrats) are running for the Senate, and another 11 (ten Republicans and one Democrat) are running for governor. One more Republican ( Chip Roy of Texas) is running for Attorney General."

"Of the other retirees, the most inscrutable are among Republicans in safe seats who aren't too old to serve and would seem to be reaching the peak of their careers. Those include two of the most recently announced retirements, that of Nevada congressman Mark Amodei and Georgia congressman Barry Loudermilk. Amodei's stated rationale for leaving Congress was that "15 years seems like a pretty good run." Loudermilk was even more opaque, retreating behind the standard "more time with his family" excuse."

A historically large number of members of Congress are not running for reelection in 2026: 51 House members (30 Republicans, 21 Democrats) and nine senators (five Republicans, four Democrats) out of 35 up for reelection. Three House members will run against each other after mid-decade redistricting. Pending partisan gerrymanders in Florida and Virginia could increase the House count. Many retirements reflect runs for other offices: 15 House members are running for the Senate (eight Republicans, seven Democrats), 11 are running for governor (ten Republicans, one Democrat), and one Republican is running for attorney general. Some Republicans in safe seats cited retirement without clear political rationale.

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