A growing sense of gloom is developing among Democrats in Congress with less than a year before the 2022 midterm elections. With every Democrat that announces they’re not seeking reelection, the mood worsens.
Morale in Congress is already low among Democrats. As they look ahead to 2022 and what could be a trying election cycle, the belief is that the retirement wave has yet to crash.
23 members of the House Democratic Caucus have already announced they will not seek reelection in 2022. While high profile retirements by the party in power are not uncommon before a difficult midterm election cycle, the sentiment now is that more departures are coming. A combination of political winds tilting to the Republicans that has carved up what were once easy races for Democrats and low morale among House members could spell disaster before the 2022 elections.
“We have a problem here,” Representative Cherri Bustos said. “There are way too many people serving as members of Congress that I not only don’t look up to, but also have no respect for. I hate to even have to say that.”
First elected in 2012, and representing Western Illinois, Bustos announced earlier this year that she was retiring. “I’m looking for a new chapter in my life,” she told CNN. It’s clear though the current standing of Congress loomed over the decision. “While there are some Democrats who aren’t team players, the bulk of them are Republicans who refuse to raise the deficit in order to help put people back to work. At the same time, they ballooned the deficit when they passed former President Trump’s tax cuts.”
“When you only have a three-or-four-vote majority and you see people in tough districts announcing they will not seek another term, everybody worries about what’s ahead,” Bustos stated.
Republicans have also seen some powerful members announce they will not seek reelection. Kevin Brady, the top Republican on the House Ways and Means Committee, announced he will retire and become CEO of the Trump Media and Technology Group.
Retirements are a problem for Democrats, as the party in power, simply cannot afford. With a very slim majority in the House and polls showing a potential Republican swing, any slight change can prove disastrous.
What’s even more worrisome is retirements are stacking up. Representative Peter DeFazio of Oregon, and chair of the House Infrastructure and Transportation Committee, announced he will not seek reelection. Representative Eddie Bernice Johnson of Texas, and chair of the House Space, Science, and Technology Committee, announced she will not run for reelection as well. Kentucky Representative John Yarmouth, who chairs the House Budget Committee, also will not seek reelection.
It’s not just committee chairs that worry Democrats. It’s also districts that will be difficult to keep in 2022. Wisconsin Representative Ron Kind, who represents a district that voted for Donald Trump in 2016 and 2020, announced he will not seek reelection. Republicans are confident they can flip the seat in 2022. Arizona Representative Ann Kirkpatrick, who represents the state’s Second District, announced she will retire as well. Before her 2018 victory, the district was held by a Republican. New York Representative Tom Suozzi announced his intent to run for governor and will vacate his Long Island District. The seat could become competitive if Democrats face a difficult cycle.
All of the retirements have been hailed by Republicans. “Every retirement demoralizes Democrats further and forces them to spend more on defending competitive seats,” Michael McAdams, who is a spokesperson for the National Republican Congressional Committee, said. “No one wants to run as a Democrat this cycle.”
So far though, Democratic leaders – at least publicly – are rejecting the idea Democrats have a retirement problem.
“It’s pretty standard stuff. Anybody who serves in this Congress knows these are personal decisions. I’m not that worried about it. I think Republicans are going to have at least one good idea for America. They can’t do it with tricks and stacking the deck,” Senator Patrick Maloney, who chairs the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, told CNN’s Manu Raju.
There is a sense inside the caucus that things are not what Maloney and others want the public to believe.
Representative Filemòn Vela, a Texas Democrat who announced earlier this year he will not seek reelection, believes Democrats will do fine if they can get control of inflation and COVID by the summer. “I won’t say we keep the majority because it is such a tough cycle. If by November, we are still in the middle of the COVID crisis and inflation is sky high, we have a problem.”
Vela also added that if those issues continue to pester Democrats, you have the same problem you did in 2010 when Democrats lost 63 seats and control of the House. “It’s a valid concern. If we had been in the middle of midterms earlier this year, I think seats like mine would have been lost. I don’t think that will happen next year.”
No comments:
Post a Comment