By Naveen Athrappully
Several lawmakers from the GOP and Democratic parties will not be running for reelection in the 2024 race, with most retiring and a few vying for governmental posts besides the House and Senate.
In total, 26 lawmakers have announced that this will be their last term, out of which 19 are members of the House of Representatives while the remaining seven are Senate members.
House Members Not Running
Rep. Bill Johnson (R-Ohio) will not be seeking an 8th term in Congress and has accepted an offer to lead Youngstown State University. “I wasn’t looking for another job, because I love the one I have serving the people of Eastern Ohio in the U.S. House. This was an extremely difficult decision,” he said in a Nov. 21 post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.) said, in a Nov. 21 X post that she will not be seeking reelection. The lawmaker has served Congress for over 30 years.
Rep. Tony Cardenas (D-Calif.) will be retiring after the end of 2024 when the current term ends. He represented the Northeast San Fernando Valley in the California state Legislature.
Rep. Dan Kildee (D-Mich.) will not seek reelection once his term ends on Jan. 3, 2025. Earlier this year, Mr. Kildee was diagnosed with cancer. He underwent surgery and is now cancer-free. “After spending time with my wife, children, and grandchildren and contemplating our future, the time has come for me to step back from public office,” he said in a Nov. 16 press release. “This was not an easy decision to make. But I know it’s the right one for me and for my family.”
Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) announced he has no intention of seeking reelection following a damning House Ethics Committee report that accused him of stealing money from his campaign’s donor contributions.
Rep. Michael Burgess (R-Texas) announced he will retire once his current 11th term in Congress comes to an end. Mr. Burgess is presently a member of the House Budget Committee.
Rep. Brad Wenstrup (R-Ohio) will be retiring from Congress next year. He was first elected in 2012 and has served 11 years in Congress. He is a member of the House Intelligence Committee and the Ways and Means Committee.
Rep. Derek Kilmer (D-Wash.) said in a Nov. 10 X post: “It has been one of the great honors of my life to serve as the Representative for Washington’s 6th District in Congress. I’m proud of what we have accomplished—but it is time for the next chapter. I will not seek re-election in 2024.”
Rep. Kay Granger (R-Texas) is currently the chair of the Appropriations Committee and does not intend to fight for reelection next year.
Rep. Ken Buck (R-Colo.) announced his retirement in 2024. He has criticized GOP members who denied the results of the 2020 election results.
Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) served Oregon’s 3rd Congressional District in the House for 27 years. “Simply said, it is time to continue my life’s mission without the burden of day-to-day politics,” he said in an Oct. 30 news release.
Rep. John Sarbanes (D-Md.) announced his decision not to run in 2024 last month. Mr. Sarbanes is in his ninth term and will have served Congress for 18 years once he leaves.
Rep. Debbie Lesko (R-Ariz.) said in an Oct. 18 X post: “I have decided not to run for reelection in 2024. I want to spend more time with my husband, my 94-year-old mother, my three children, and my five grandchildren.” She added: “Spending, on average, three weeks out of every month away from my family, and traveling back and forth to Washington, D.C. almost every weekend is difficult. Right now, Washington, D.C. is broken; it is hard to get anything done.”
Rep. Jennifer Wexton (D-Va.) announced in a Sept. 18 X post that she would not seek reelection after being diagnosed with “Progressive Supra-nuclear Palsy,” which she said is “kind of ‘Parkinson’s on steroids.’”
Rep. Grace Napolitano (D-Calif.), 86, announced her retirement in July once the current term ends.
Rep. Victoria Spartz (R-Ind.) said in a statement earlier this year, according to Axios, “Being a working mom is tough and I need to spend more time with my two high school girls back home, so I will not run for any office in 2024.”
Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-Va.) won’t be running for the House but will be vying for governor of Virginia.
Rep. Jeff Jackson (D-N.C.) decided to run for the post of North Carolina attorney general after a gerrymander which is expected to leave him with no chance of winning a reelection.
Rep. Dan Bishop (R-N.C.) announced in August that he would run for the attorney general of North Carolina instead of seeking reelection to the House next year.
Senators Quitting
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) announced earlier this month that he will not be running for reelection to the Senate. “What I will be doing is traveling the country and speaking out to see if there is an interest in creating a movement to mobilize the middle and bring Americans together,” he said.
Sen. Laphonza Butler (D-Calif.) was sworn into office in October to replace the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein. In an interview with The New York Times last month, Ms. Butler said she will not seek reelection.
Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) announced in a January press release her intention to leave the Senate when her term ends. “Inspired by a new generation of leaders, I have decided to pass the torch in the U.S. Senate,” she said.
Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) said in a May press release, “I have run my last election and will not be on the ballot in 2024.”
Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.) announced retirement in May and vowed to help Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.) win the race to succeed him.
Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) said in an interview with The Washington Post that he would not seek a new term in the Senate and it was now time for a new generation to “step up.”
Sen. Mike Braun (R-Ind.) filed paperwork to run for the post of governor of Indiana and will not run for the Senate next year.
