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In what is expected to be a tough year for Democrats to try and keep their majorities in both the House and Senate, another three Democratic lawmakers have announced they would not be seeking reelection next year.
While some are seeking other offices either in the Senate or in their home states, many cite redistricting or the toxic environment in Congress as their reasons for stepping down.
Florida Rep. Stephanie Murphy, co-chair of the moderate Blue Dog Coalition, announced in a video on Monday that she will not seek re-election next year.
Murphy beat 12-term Republican incumbent Rep. John Mica for her Orlando seat in 2016 at the same time Donald Trump won as president. She also became the first Vietnamese-American woman to win a seat in Congress.
“These last few years have been some of the most rewarding moments of my life, but also some of the most challenging. Public service is not without personal sacrifice, and as a mom of two young children, my time away from them has been hard. For them. For me. And for our family,” Murphy said in the video.
New Jersey Congressman Albio Sires said Monday he’ll be retiring after his eighth term as Eighth District congressman.
Sires hasn’t officially made an announcement yet, but he confirmed to The Jersey Journal that he plans to announce by the end of January that Jan. 3, 2023, will be his last day on the job.
Also, on Monday, California Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard, the first Mexican-American woman elected to Congress, announced she would not seek re-election in her Los Angeles-area district.
Roybal-Allard was first elected in 1992. She is the daughter of the late Rep. Edward Roybal, who spent three decades in Congress and died in 2005.
After 30 years in the House, “the time has come for me to spend more time with my family,” she said in a statement.
So far, 23 House Democrats have indicated they aren’t running for reelection, along with 13 House Republicans.
In the Senate, just six senators have said they aren’t running for reelection in 2022: Sens. Richard Burr (R-N.C.), Pat Toomey (R-Pa.), Rob Portman (R-Ohio), Richard Shelby (R-Ala.), Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) and Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.).
Republicans only need to flip five seats to win the House majority in the 2022 midterms.
