Why GOP lawmakers keep jumping ship at an historic pace

With the 2026 midterms a little over seven months away, one Republican lawmaker after another has decided against seeking reelection. Democratic resignations from Congress are occurring as well, but the number is larger among GOP lawmakers.

MS NOW's Steve Benen, in a March 30 column, stresses that Republicans are leaving Congress at am historically rapid pace — and he doesn't see this trend letting up anytime soon.

"It's worth emphasizing that nailing down the precise number of congressional retirement announcements is a little tricky because of the details: Some members have said they're ending their political career, while others are giving up their seat to pursue other office," Benen explains. "Some members have already resigned in the middle of their term, while other members have died during their current term. In some instances, we've even seen incumbent lawmakers step down in order to serve in the Trump Administration. But pulling all of the data together, what we see is an electoral landscape in which 61 U.S. House members — 22 Democrats and 39 Republicans — are giving up their seats. That number, one of the highest in the past century, might very well grow in the coming days and weeks, either voluntarily or as a result of possible primary defeats."

Benen continues, "As for the Senate, the upper chamber is seeing plenty of turnover, too. Nine incumbents — four Democrats and five Republicans, are retiring. Two other GOP senators are running for governor, and two more Democratic senators — Colorado's Michael Bennet and Minnesota’s Amy Klobuchar — are also running for governor, though they're technically not retiring because their terms are not yet up."

The "Rachel Maddow Show" producer notes that according to reporting in the New York Times, the "number of Republicans departing the House this cycle is one of the highest since 1930."

"Capitol Hill just isn't a great place to work lately," Benen argues. "Congress, at an institutional level, has become increasingly paralyzed and dysfunctional — a problem made worse by the fact that Republican leaders have surrendered many of their powers to the White House. Between this and GOP officials' fears of a voter backlash in November, there's no great mystery as to why the chambers are poised to see a dramatic personnel shift."

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