Colorado Republican Ken Buck, a Freedom Caucus member who has called out the party’s right flank on impeachment, is the latest in a string of GOP members to head for the exits.
Buck had already announced his retirement last year, but he surprised Congress — including House Republican leadership — by saying that he’ll leave early, effective mid-March. That decision narrows House Republicans’ already-slim majority even further, meaning they’ll only hold 218 seats of 435, and that they can afford to lose just two votes if they want to pass any measures on a partisan basis.
Buck joins former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) in the wave of high-profile resignations in recent months as slightly more institutionalist House Republicans have left amid party dysfunction and extremism. “It is the worst year of the nine years and three months that I’ve been in Congress, and having talked to former members, it’s the worst year in 40, 50 years to be in Congress,” Buck told CNN.
Thus far, 43 House members and eight senators have announced that they won’t be seeking another term but they’ll finish out this one. Additionally, eight House members and two Senators have left their seats early due to factors including retirement, death, and expulsion.
Overall, these departures are generally in line with past trends. The number of House retirements this cycle — people who will complete their term but won’t run for reelection — is slightly lower than in 2022 and 2018, but higher than 2020, according to Ballotpedia. The figure in the Senate, meanwhile, is slightly higher this year compared to those three years. If these retirements continue at this pace, it’s possible the total number this cycle will exceed past records. “I think it’s the next three people that leave that they’re going to be worried about,” Buck told Axios regarding his colleagues’ concerns about his departure.
Of the lawmakers retiring or leaving early, there are also…
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