(TheIndependentStar.com) – The midterm elections are a hot topic in political circles. With the House and the Senate having close margins, it’s crucial for both parties to hold on to and gain seats. The Democrats are especially at risk because they could lose the majority strongholds they have, and things are looking challenging as yet another House member announces she won’t be running in 2022.
Speier Bows Out
Representative Jackie Speier (D-CA) announced on November 16 that she will not run again for her seat in 2022. She implied she would like to spend more time with her family.
Speier’s career began in 1979 when she worked as an aide to late Representative Leo Ryan (D-CA). On a fact-finding trip to Jonestown in Guyana, Speier suffered five gunshot wounds in an airstrip shooting that killed Ryan. The following year, she secured a seat on the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors.
The representative also served in both chambers within the California legislature and gained her seat in Congress in 2008. There wasn’t a forecast for a problematic re-election bid for Speier. By all accounts, the representative would have likely won; she had a 60-point margin in her last election.
A Rough Road Ahead
Speier’s retirement marks the ninth Democrat in the House to announce their leave ahead of the 2022 midterms. An additional five members have opted to run for state elections instead of retaining their places in Congress.
The expectations for the upcoming election does not look good for the Left. Historically, the president’s party loses elections in the midterms, and with Biden’s approval ratings on a downslide, it’s the perfect situation for a red wave. With Republicans needing only to gain five seats to overtake the majority in the House, the departures are concerning and may be a sign of pessimism amongst the party.
Jesse Ferguson, a Democratic consultant, explained the retirements aren’t a huge red flag for Democrats. He pointed out many of the people leaving will have little impact on the party maintaining the majority. Many are from districts where it’s highly likely a Democrat will win no matter who is running.
Still, four of the representatives who’ve announced they won’t run again are from competitive districts, just one shy of what Republicans need. With the surprising defeat in the West Virginia governor’s race, liberals cannot take anything for granted.
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