Tracking House retirements from the 116th Congress

Twenty-eight House Republicans have already announced they will retire or run for another office at the end of the current congressional term, compared with only nine Democrats who have done so.

For many retiring Republican members, the often unspoken reason for their departure is frustration with the president and his grip on the party.

“Did any member of this conference expect that their job would start out every morning trying to go through the list of what’s happening in tweets of the day?” Rep. Paul Mitchell (R-Mich.) asked The Post’s Rachael Bade, referring to Trump’s Twitter habits. “We’re not moving forward right now. We are simply thrashing around.”

Congressional retirements announced, as of Feb. 26

Fewer House Republicans have announced their retirement as had done so at this point in the 2018 election cycle, which saw significant Republican losses in November and January. Others resigned their posts before the end of the term and will likely be replaced before the election.

[Reporter Mike DeBonis joins Post Reports to discuss the consequences of GOP congressional retirements]

Though many of the districts that retirees are leaving will likely stay in the same party’s hands, some should be very competitive seats, even more so without an incumbent on the ballot. Rep. Will Hurd (R-Tex.) eked out a win in 2018, and Clinton won his district by 3.5 points in 2016. His absence jeopardizes Republicans’ hold on their last remaining district along the southern border.

On the Democratic side, Rep. Dave Loebsack (Iowa) won a district that backed Trump by 4 points in 2016 by a 12-point margin in 2018.

Lawmakers who say they’ll leave at the end of this term