A record number of members of the United States House of Representatives have announced they are not seeking re-election to the House, according to an analysis by the Pew Research Center. Republican representatives make up more than half of those choosing to not seek re-election.
As of February 28th, 52 representatives (36 Republicans and 16 Democrats) have publicly announced they are not running for new terms, and that number could continue to rise as some states have not yet reached filing deadlines. This is the largest number of Republican members of the House to decide not to run for re-election since 1930, according to the analysis.
“The spate of House members opting not to run for re-election this year has prompted much commentary speculating on what it might or might not mean for Democrats’ hopes of regaining control of the chamber,” the report states.
The analysis combined lists of departing House members acquired from media outlets and reports, and compared these lists with data gathered in 2014. The number counts include those who have retired or chosen to run for another office. The data excludes “involuntary departures,” such as death or expulsion from office.
