Six House Republicans so far—three last week—have announced their retirements since Democrats took the House last November, and it’s unlikely that’s the end of it. It’s not just that it’s no fun being in the minority—Republicans know that winning back the House in 2020 is a very long shot.
Plenty of Republicans had their biggest challenges of recent years in 2018, too, meaning that they’d likely face another tough race in 2020. That’s a lot of work to stay in the not-fun life of the minority. For instance, Rep. Pete Olson, who announced his retirement last week, won by 18 points in 2016 and just five in 2018.
There’s something else, too. An unnamed House Republican told The Hill that “Serving in the era of Trump has few rewards. He has made an already hostile political environment worse. Every day there is some indefensible tweet or comment to defend or explain. It is exhausting and often embarrassing.” And yet they keep defending Trump and embarrassing themselves. Maybe retirement really is their best answer, and may many of them embrace it.
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