So far, 9 House rethugs to forgo 2010 re-election campaign, 5 in Senate [View All]

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/eyeon2010/2009/05/most-early-2010-house-retirees.html


Most Early 2010 House Retirees Come From One-Sided Districts

By Greg Giroux | May 3, 2009 4:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)


When Georgia Rep. Nathan Deal announced Friday that he's running for governor next year, he became the ninth House Republican to forgo a 2010 re-election campaign. Just four House Democrats have done the same.

That partisan skew of the early 2010 open seats might be bad news for the GOP. The Republicans endured another round of big seat losses in 2008 after losing the House majority in the 2006 elections -- and the party suffered a greater net loss last year in districts that departing incumbents had left open than in districts that incumbents were defending.

There is some salve for the GOP, though, in its early 2010 cycle open-seat situation. The districts that are being left open by Republican retirees or seekers of other offices are reliably Republican-leaning.

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On the Senate side, five Republicans are not seeking re-election next year. No elected Democratic senator up for re-election is retiring; Delaware Democratic Sen. Ted Kaufman, appointed to the Senate seat vacated by Vice President Joseph R. Biden, isn't running in a 2010 special election. Illinois' Roland W. Burris, the Democratic appointee who filled Obama's vacated Senate seat, hasn't said whether he will run in 2010.

There will be more retirements and announcements of candidacy for other offices, though party leaders will try to minimize them. Democrats can expect few retirements ahead of the 112th Congress in 2011-2012, as they almost certainly will maintain their current Senate and House majorities into the second half of President Obama's term.

Republican strategists, though, are pitching 2010 as a good comeback year, because the opposition party typically makes large seat gains in midterm elections.