Republicans Are Retiring In Droves, At A Rate Double Their Democratic Counterparts

Re-election does not seem to be an option for Republican House members, who are running for the exit at a rate double their Democratic counterparts.

Compared to 16 Democrats who plan to leave the house, at least 41 Republican House members have said they will either retire or seek another office, according to the House Press Gallery. This number is well above the average number of House retirements per election cycle.

Of the 41 who have announced their exit, some are facing sexual-harassment allegations while others are running for governor or the Senate.

Three GOP lawmakers have announced their exit from the house in just the past week, South Carolina Representative Trey Gowdy - chairman of the powerful House Oversight Committee - being the latest.

According to the USA Today, however, nine of the 41 are influential leaders who do not face any allegations of wrongdoing. So what is forcing them to exit?

Among other things, an increasingly dysfunctional Congress and the limit on committee chairmanship term has pushed many Republican House members to rush to the exit, the USA Today report says. According to other reports, the infighting that plagues the House Republican caucus is the primary reason pushing House Republicans to retire.

Democrats are hoping to capitalise on GOP exits and regain the House majority in November, the report says. According to recent trends, the party controlling the White House loses seats in the midterm elections.