DEMS/GOP/POLITICS: “On Wednesday [1-10-18], California Rep. Darrell Issa announced his retirement from Congres, the latest senior Republican to walk away from Washington amid mounting fears that a Democratic wave — fueled by President Donald Trump’s terrible approval ratings — is headed toward Washington this fall.
Issa’s retirement comes hot on the heels of his California colleague Ed Royce’s decision to call it quits earlier this week. Boh Issa and Royce represent districts that Hillary Clinton carried over Donald Trump in 2016. Of those 23 districts nationwide, four Republicans who hold them are retiring while a fifth — Arizona’s Martha McSally — is expected to run for Senate.
Royce, who sits atop the House Foreign Relations Committee, is the 9th(!) committee chairman to announce he or she will be leaving the House in 2018.
Issa and Royce are the 31st and 32nd Republicans in the House to announce he won’t be running again in 2018; Democrats have just 15 open seats, by contrast…
And, Royce, like several other committee chairmen calling it quits, is term-limited out of his chairmanship because of internal House GOP rules. Some retiring members, like Diane Black of Tennessee, are running for higher office. (Black is running for governor, a race where she is considered one of the early favorites.)”
-Chris Cillizza, “House Republicans are sprinting for the exits ahead of 2018 midterms,” CNN Politics, CNNc.om, Jan. 10, 2018 12:07pm