Faced with the specter of a red-wave in 2022, Democrats are bailing out in record numbers.
The latest to call it quits before the midterm elections are Reps. Stephanie Murphy of Florida, Lucille Roybal-Allard of California, and Albio Sires of New Jersey. Each one announced their retirement last week from the House of Representatives.
• Rep. Albio Sires (D-NJ)
— 𝕔hi𝓁𝓁iຖ໐iˢ (@chiIIum) December 21, 2021
• Rep. Stephanie Murphy (D-FL), and Chairwoman of the House Appropriations subcommittee overseeing immigration issues.
• Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA)
ALL announced they would not run for reelection within 24 hours of each other. pic.twitter.com/FTquPXlUvo
This brings the total number thus far to 23 House Democrats who are either retiring from congress or bidding for another office, rather than run for reelection in 2022. The party attempts to hold on to a razor-thin majority in the House, amid predictions of a historic landslide by Republicans who need just 5 seats to recapture the House they lost back in 2018.
History usually favors the party that doesn’t control the executive branch, namely the White House. On average, Republicans can expect to win a minimum of 25 House seats during a normal midterm election cycle.
If predictions are correct, 2022 will be “the 100-year storm” according to GOP House leader Kevin McCarthy. Back in August, he predicted a record number of Democrats would retire before the 2022 midterm or face a red tsunami, the likes of which haven’t been seen for nearly a century.
“Once you get past Thanksgiving and members go home, and they’re Democrats and they’ve been challenged before and they’re going to get beat up, Congress is not that great,” he said. “They’ve got new lines where they have to go meet new people and they’re still going to have the White House. They’re going to make a decision to retire, that’s the best time so they can go get another job. When we get that retirement number up higher, into double-digit figures, the whole thing becomes a different play.”
McCarthy pointed to history and redistricting, emphasizing that “this cycle is like the 100-year storm.”
The House leader added, “you look at the issue set of where the public is at – crime, inflation, wokeism, the border, all of those the Democrats have to play defense. Republicans don’t have to play defense at all.”
pic.twitter.com/kdIWY9J8vI McCarthy, aiming to regain House majority, likens 2022 midterms to ‘the 100-year storm’ https://t.co/Drl6ReT1fH
— 𝒃𝒐𝒍𝒅 (@ya_meis) December 24, 2021
Kyle Kondik, the managing editor of the nonpartisan political handicapper Sabato’s Crystal Ball, told Fox News, “Only members themselves know why they decide to retire. But if there’s an imbalance of retirements toward one party or another, it sometimes can tell us something about what the party with a lot of retirees thinks might happen in the midterms.”
The midterm elections are still almost a year away, and within the world of politics, that’s an eternity. The Democrats still control the political agenda, along with the narrative, complements of the mainstream media.
DCCC spokesperson Chris Taylor told Fox News that recent fundraising effort by Democrats and their allies have paid off, outpacing their rival National Republican Congressional Committee in donor support.
According to Taylor, “House Democrats are heading into the midterms with record-breaking fundraising numbers, earlier than ever investments in organizing, and an agenda that’s wildly popular among battleground voters.”
Taylor also argued that because “voters see Democratic members and candidates focused on rebooting the economy and getting folks back on the job,” the DCCC’s believes that “incumbent or not, we’re confident in our ability to win the House yet again.”
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