Two Veteran Democratic Congressmen Expected to Announce Retirement
Two longtime Democratic representatives are expected to announce their retirements in the coming days, heading to the exits after decades in Congress as President Biden’s legislative agenda stalls and his approval rating continues to sink.
Representative David Price of North Carolina, an 81 year old member who has represented his district for three decades, will not seek reelection, sources informed the Carolina Journal. Price received over 67 percent of the vote in his last election.
Similarly, Pennsylvania Representative Mike Doyle is set to make “a major announcement about the 2022 elections” on Monday, according to his office. Doyle, who has served 14 terms in the House, will appear at a press conference this afternoon to share a statement. Two progressive candidates to the left of Doyle are expected to enter the Democratic primary race in his district.
Nationwide, eleven Democrats are not seeking re-election to their House seats while six Democrats are retiring from public office altogether, not including Price and Doyle, according to Ballotpedia.
Historical trends, which favor the minority party in midterm elections, coupled with Biden’s inability push through his $4.5 trillion legislative agenda and his record-low approval rating, suggest Democrats face an uphill battle in 2022. To recapture the House, the GOP must achieve a net gain of five seats in the 2022 midterms.
Fundraising numbers are so far giving Republicans the upper hand to win back control of Congress after they lost it in the 2018 midterms, with the GOP reelection arm raising an off-year monthly record of $12.2 million in September.
The committee collected a total $105 million through September, a massive 74 percent increase over the same period last cycle, the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) reported. The Democrats’ congressional fundraising arm raised approximately $36.5 million during the second quarter, a number which Republicans surpassed, Fox News reported.
