2025 has seen a near-record number of retirements in the U.S. House of Representatives – particularly from Republican members. Many lawmakers are becoming increasingly frustrated by Congress' inability to pass laws.
CNN reported Thursday that numerous members of the 119th Congress have decided to leave the House and instead run for governor in their respective states. 10 House Republicans from states like Arizona, Florida, South Carolina, Wisconsin and others are all launching gubernatorial campaigns. And some legislators are simply fed up with Washington. This includes even high-ranking members like Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas), who has chaired both the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the Homeland Security Committee.
"The level of partisanship, rancor, vitriolic debate, demonizing the other side of the aisle, not willing to work across the aisle to get good things done for the American people, and just the overall toxic environment," McCaul told CNN when asked why he was retiring after more than two decades in the House. "And then we are chained to the floor here on votes that will never become law in a lot of cases."
One unnamed Republican anonymously confided to CNN that the day-to-day dysfunction prevalent on Capitol Hill was a key contributor to the recent wave of retirements.
"It’s historic to be there. It’s an amazing honor. But boy, they suck a lot of the life out of you sometimes," the Republican said. "For some people, it’s like, what am I doing this for?"
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) acknowledged Republicans' frustrations to CNN, but blamed the current political morass on the GOP's paper-thin majority. He maintained that he was "very, very bullish about the midterms" despite the incumbent president's party typically suffering significant losses during midterm elections.
"These are not easy times. There are a lot of challenges for the country. And we’re doing it in an environment, where you have one of the smallest margins possible, smallest margins in history," Johnson said. "And so, it creates frictions sometimes, and everybody has different ideas, and as I say every day, I’m in the consensus building business."
Click here to read CNN's report in full (subscription required).
