Republicans Reeling From Rash of Retirements

16 leaving Congress; Dems staying put
By Kevin Spak,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 16, 2007 5:23 PM CDT
Republicans Reeling From Rash of Retirements
Sen. John Warner, R-Va., announces at a press conference at the University of Virginia he will not seek re-election to the U.S. Senate Friday, Aug. 31, 2007, in Charlottesville, Va. (AP Photo/Andrew Shurtleff)   (Associated Press)

It’s retirement season in Congress, and droves of Republicans are cutting and running. So far 16 Republican lawmakers are on the way out, a result, the LA Times says, of the party’s recent troubles. “I don’t like being in the minority,” one departing congressman admitted. “It’s not that much fun, and the prospects don’t look that good.”

The number of retirements would seem normal, if any Democrats were retiring. Two House Democrats are leaving their seats—to run for Senate. The GOP’s retirees, meanwhile, are leaving eight competitive districts up for grabs. To exacerbate matters, Republicans have so far raised a scant $1.6 million to defend those seats, compared with the Democrats' $22.1 million. (More Congress stories.)

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