Make that an even thirty House Democrats now choosing to retire rather than run for reelection in 2022 and spend the year defending President Biden’s indefensible record.
The latest name comes from New York, where Rep. Kathleen Rice of NY-4 has chosen to serve in “other capacities” rather than run as a battered incumbent in a bad year for Democrats.
Rice has served in the Long Island area for four terms, but has decided it’s time to hang things up:
Rice, a Democrat who has represented a Long Island district for four terms, said in a statement that elected officials “must give all we have and then know when it is time to allow others to serve.”
She becomes the 30th House Democrat nationwide to announce they would not run this fall as the party hopes to retain the majority in the mid-term elections.
Democrats believe the seat will remain blue, but with how bad things are going for Biden domestically, anything is possible with the right candidate. Maybe if Long Island residents decide they’re no longer enjoying their $4 dollar a gallon gas by November, NY-4 could get caught up in the red wave.
List of House Democrats Retiring in 2022
Here’s the current list of House Democrats not running for reelection in 2022. Some of them are retiring, and others are changing course and choosing to run for another office:
- Ann Kirkpatrick AZ-02 (Retiring)
- Jackie Speier CA-14 (Retiring)
- Karen Bass CA-37 (Running for mayor)
- Lucille Roybal-Allard CA-40 (Retiring)
- Alan Lowenthal CA-47 (Retiring)
- Stephanie Murphy FL-07 (Retiring)
- Val Demings FL-10 (Running for Senate)
- Charlie Crist FL-13 (Running for governor)
- Bobby Rush IL-01 (Retiring)
- Cheri Bustos IL-17 (Retiring)
- John Yarmuth KY-03 (Retiring)
- Anthony Brown MD-04 (Running for attorney general)
- Brenda Lawrence MI-14 (Retiring)
- G.K. Butterfield NC-01 (Retiring)
- David Price NC-04 (Retiring)
- Albio Sires NJ-08 (Retiring)
- Tom Suozzi NY-03 (Running for governor)
- Tim Ryan OH-13 (Running for Senate)
- Peter DeFazio OR-04 (Retiring)
- Conor Lamb PA-17 (Running for Senate)
- Mike Doyle PA-18 (Retiring)
- Eddie Bernice Johnson TX-30 (Retiring)
- Filemon Vela TX-34 (Retiring)
- Peter Welch VT-AL (Running for Senate)
- Ron Kind WI-03 (Retiring)
- Ed Perlmutter CO-07 (Retiring)
- Jim Langevin RI-02 (Retiring)
- Jerry McNerney CA-09 (Retiring)
- Jim Cooper TN-04 (Retiring)
- Kathleen Rice NY-04 (Retiring)
According to the National Republican Congressional Committee, lucky number 30 now matches a high of Democrat retirements set back in 1992:
Kathleen Rice is now number 3??0??
This is the most Dem retirements since 1992.
No one wants to run as a member of @HouseDemocrats!!! https://t.co/PCraqXHIjJ
— Michael McAdams (@M_McAdams) February 15, 2022
It’s entirely possible and likely to see a few more Democrats retire as redistricting battles continue in some states.
