Record Number of Republicans Retire Ahead of Midterm Elections

By Olivia Armstead

Courtesy of ABC News

In times of political uncertainty and high tensions in the U.S., many Republican lawmakers are deciding to leave office and retire from the industry altogether. In fact, on Fri., Mar. 27, Republican Congressman Sam Graves of Missouri became the 36th Republican and the 57th House Member to not seek re-election, per ABC News. 

According to a tally of retirement announcements conducted by ABC News and a review of data covering many decades compiled by the Brookings Institution, more Republican lawmakers are retiring before the arrival of the midterm elections than at any time in almost a century. 

Some notable names that have retired as of recent are Rep. Sam Graves, Rep. Jodey Arrington of Texas, who served as the Republican leader of the House Budget Committee, retired Navy SEAL Rep. Morgan Luttrell of Texas, and 20 other Republicans who planned to run for Senate or governor of the states where they reside. 

Trump is also making changes within the Republican staff, deciding to fire Attorney General Pam Bondi, according to a senior administration official and another source, per NBC News. 

Reportedly, most of the Republican retirees are citing personal reasons, with some wanting to spend more time with their families after being in the industry for so long, and others refusing to run for re-election after redistricting disputes would force them to campaign in new districts. 

Casey Burgat, the director of the Legislative Affairs Program at George Washington University, explained to ABC News how tough things are getting for Republicans as Democrats begin to emerge as the dominant party. 

“Republicans are staring down the barrel of the minority party, which is not a fulfilling place to be in federal politics in 2026,” said Burgat. 

Others attribute the sudden surge in retirement announcements to division in the Republican Party. Malachi Hutcherson, a third-year political science major, thinks the major change that has happened within their party due to Trump’s presidency has a lot of politicians uncertain about the party’s future. 

“I think this trend shows that Republicans aren’t confident in this presidency and are looking to distance themselves from the direction their party has taken,” said Hutcherson. “Many Republicans already have given statements against the administration on [recent] issues … I think we can expect further division from the Republican party and a strong showing for Democrats in the midterms.”