Rep. Barney Frank’s (D-MA) decision yesterday to retire from the House
of Representatives marks the 17th Democrat this cycle to opt not to run
for reelection, compared to just seven Republicans, dimming the
prospects that Democrats can win the 26 seats necessary to retake
control of the chamber in 2012, reports The Hill.
“All
[seven] GOP members are departing to run for another office, while only
eight of the 17 Democrats have their eyes focused
upward… Anticipating the blowback it would receive following two
high-profile retirements in less than a week, the Democratic
Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) released a memo Monday showing
that a number of Democratic retirements are in left-leaning districts
where the party is likely to retain control even without an incumbent.”
Politico:
“It’s a familiar trend: When parties lose the majority, the path back
to power appears too steep for many members to stick it out. After
Democrats lost the majority in 1994, 29 Democrats did not seek
reelection — eight more than the number of Republicans who retired.
After Republicans lost the majority in 2006, 27 Republicans did not seek
reelection — 21 more than the number of retiring Democrats.”
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