Democrats are bracing for the possibility of a coming wave of retirements as the party comes to grips with a series of ominous electoral losses in Virginia and other states that portend trouble in the 2022 midterms.
Fourteen House Democrats have already announced that they will not seek reelection in 2022. But the painful string of defeats in Tuesday’s off-year elections is stirring speculation that more of the party’s incumbents may be eyeing the exits ahead of the midterms in hopes of avoiding brutal reelection campaigns or being relegated once again to the minority.
Republicans, emboldened by their recent victories, are already firing warning shots at House Democrats. In an interview with The Washington Post on Wednesday, Rep. Tom Emmer (R-Minn.), the chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), gave vulnerable Democratic incumbents an ultimatum: “Retire or lose.”
Those remarks came as the NRCC expanded its list of targets on Wednesday, adding 13 new Democratic incumbents in solidly blue, suburban districts, sending a signal that the GOP is prepared to go on offense in parts of the country that they previously appeared unlikely to win.
“I think, before [Tuesday’s elections], there were some members already thinking about it,” one senior Democratic House aide said. “And if they weren’t, I’ll bet you they are now.”
The aide said there is little doubt among Democrats that more retirements are in the pipeline, but how many is still up in the air. While the 2021 elections dealt a blow to the party’s morale, the aide said, many Democrats are hopeful that they can reverse their fortunes by pressing forward on President Biden’s agenda.
read more here: https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/580322-democrats-brace-for-flood-of-retirements-after-virginia-rout
They need to retire ! This was very upsetting to them. This State was turned form Blue to RED. I have a feeling we will be seeing a lot more of this
