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Over 30 Congress lawmakers will not be seeking reelection next year, and with most of them being Democrat, many are questioning if Republicans will see a power shift in their favor for 2024.
The House and Senate are preparing to see shifts among lawmakers for next year, losing 36 lawmakers in total, according to Ballotpedia.
While some are preparing to run for other political positions and others are retiring from office completely, Democrats seem to be dropping at a much higher rate from 2024 than Republicans.
For 2024, the U.S. House will be losing 29 current representatives, of which 20 are reportedly Democrats and nine are Republicans, the site reported. Eight Democrats and six Republicans will be officially retiring from public office, with 12 Democrats and three Republicans seeking other offices like governor or Senate seats, according to Ballotpedia.
As for the Senate, seven lawmakers will not be running for their seats — with five being Democrats and two Republicans. Out of the seven, only one Republican will be seeking another office for next year.
While the lawmakers have various reasons for retiring or seeking another office, there are some who have expressed frustrations with the current political climate.
Colorado Republican Rep. Ken Buck told the Washington Examiner, that issues such as Medicare and Social Security solvency are some of the reasons why he is deciding to step away.
“I am frustrated that this place doesn’t address the big issues,” Buck told the Washington Examiner. “In order to convince the American people to elect us with the kind of majorities we need to pass the solutions, we need to have credibility.”
New York Democrat Bryan Higgins echoed Buck’s frustration with D.C. in his announcement on X, formerly known as Twitter, stating that he is seeking “other ways” to “build up and serve” his community after a “slow and frustrating” year in Congress.
“I’ve always been a little impatient, and that trait has helped us deliver remarkable progress for this community,” Higgins posted. “But the pace in Washington, D.C. can be slow and frustrating, especially this year. Therefore, after thoughtful consideration, I have made the difficult decision to leave Congress and explore other ways I can build up and serve Buffalo and Western New York.”
Public approval rating for the 118th Congress, which began in January of 2023, has been low among American voters. Recent polling taken from October shows that only 13 percent of Americans approve of the way Congress is handling its job, according to a Gallup poll.
