Dem
47
GOP
53
Retirement season is upon us. After politicians go home for Christmas and talk to family, friends and voters, January is the time when those who were thinking about retirement make an actual decision. If they wait too long, filing deadlines will pass and they need to be "in or not" before then. If they are going to retire but wait too long, this will hurt their party because potential replacements won't have enough time to talk to voters, donors and potential campaign staff in order to organize potential primary campaigns.
Two House Democrats have just announced that they are out of there. The big news is that Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD) has had it and will not run for a 24th term in the House. Hoyer has been in the Democratic leadership for 20 years, but never made it to the very top because Nancy Pelosi was in the way.
Hoyer is 86, but fully functional. His problem is not that he can't do the job. His problem is that he is a relic from a different era and is thoroughly obsolete. He is a moderate who wants to work with the Republicans. Younger Democrats realize that is impossible and want leaders who will attack any and every Republican, especially Donald Trump, with tooth and nail. That is not Hoyer.
In the past, Hoyer had positions that are not so popular now. He once supported the Defense of Marriage Act (which banned same-sex marriage), but changed his mind when his daughter announced that she was a lesbian. He was also a debt hawk for years, which aligns with the Republicans, not the Democrats. On the other hand, he was the driving force behind the Americans with Disabilities Act. His legacy is a mixed bag.
Hoyer's D+17 district, MD-05, south of Baltimore, is not in danger and there will probably be a wild and woolly primary since Maryland does not lack ambitious Democrats. Five Democrats have already filed and many more are expected. Fellow Marylander Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) said: "He almost certainly is going to be replaced by somebody more progressive than he is." The party establishment is probably not going to intervene in the primary because the district is so blue, any Democrat can win easily. It doesn't matter who gets the nod.
The other retiree is Rep. Julia Brownley (D-CA). She is 73 and has just had enough. She is from a blue (D+8) district north of Los Angeles. Democrats will hold the district easily. Amanda Litman, the president of Run for Something, a group that encourages progressives under 40 to run for some office, thanked her for passing the torch. (V)