Tracking Retirements in the House

Dozens of members of Congress have announced plans to leave their seats in the House of Representatives, setting a rapid pace for congressional departures, with more expected as the 2024 election draws closer. Given Republicans’ razor-thin House majority, the wave of exits has the potential to lead to a significant shake-up next year.

Some lawmakers are leaving after serving in Congress for decades, while a number of others have come more recently. Many in both categories have cited frustration saying rancor and dysfunction have gripped the institution in recent years.

Few of the departures that have been announced so far are expected to alter the balance of power in the closely divided House, where a vast majority of seats are gerrymandered to be safe for one of the two political parties. But unseating an incumbent is much more challenging than winning an open seat, giving both Republicans and Democrats some opportunities to pick up seats.

The seat previously occupied by former Representative George Santos, Republican of New York, who was expelled in November, is the Democrats’ best chance at flipping a district in their push to reclaim control of the House. Court-ordered redistricting may offer Democrats even more of an edge to win the swing district seat in November. Republicans see the departure of Representative Elissa Slotkin, Democrat of Michigan, who is leaving her seat to run for the Senate, as one of their biggest chances to claim a Democratic seat and increase their odds of keeping a majority in November.

This table shows the district boundaries that will be used in 2024. Because the lines have been redrawn since the 2020 election, the vote margins shown here may be different than the margins in that district in 2020.