Federal agents are executing warrants at Twin Cities daycare providers

MPR News helps you turn down the noise and build shared understanding. Turn up your support for this public resource and keep trusted journalism accessible to all. 

Turn Up Your Support

One in eight members of Congress now say they plan to leave their current seats after this election cycle, the second-highest total in the last century.

According to NPR's congressional retirement tracker, as of March 6, there are 68 current representatives and senators who are retiring or running for a different office — 13 senators and 55 House members.

They include the surprise retirement announcements this week from Montana Republicans Sen. Steve Daines and Rep. Ryan Zinke and Utah Republican 

' decision in the wake of that state's redistricting that adds a Democratic-leaning seat.

In total, 37 lawmakers say they intend to retire from public office with the rest looking to run for a different office. There are 15 looking to become governors of their states, 15 looking to make the jump from House to Senate and Texas Republican Rep. Chip Roy is running for attorney general of his state.

Roy heads to a May 26 runoff after finishing second in Texas' March 3 primary.

Other notable retirements include longtime leaders such as 

 and Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell and a slew of politicians looking to flee Washington, D.C., for state or local offices.

Tennessee Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn and Colorado Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet are not up for reelection in 2026 but would resign their seats if they win their respective gubernatorial races.

They join 10 lawmakers who began the 119th Congress in January and have since died or resigned. Former Rep. Mikie Sherrill resigned her New Jersey House seat effective Nov. 20 

As the 2026 midterm primaries get underway, Texas Republican Rep. Dan Crenshaw is the first incumbent that 

Four other Texas incumbents — Republican Sen. John Cornyn and Democratic Reps. Al Green, Christian Menefee and Julie Johnson will also have their 

 that he would retire at the end of his term after 

 with a former staffer who later died by suicide.

Democratic North Carolina Rep. Valerie Foushee narrowly held off a younger primary challenger in the state's March 3 primary. Foushee is one of 

 in reliably blue districts NPR identified where young primary challengers are breaking through.

On pace for record departures in the Trump era

According to an NPR review of the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress and campaign records, 901 people have served in Congress since President Trump first took office in 2017. That includes 132 senators, 752 representatives — and 17 who have served in both chambers.

Almost two-thirds of the current Senate and 44 percent of the current House have also served since the start of Trump's

The most common way to leave Congress in the Trump era is retirement, as more than 140 lawmakers have done from 2017-2024.

Pelosi's announcement came shortly after 

 that saw Democrats surge in races across the country that she would not seek another term. Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene's surprise decision to resign effective Jan. 5, 2026, came after a very public clash with President Trump over his second term agenda and the release of the Epstein files.

Ahead of the 2026 midterms, many older Democrats such as Sens. Dick Durbin and Jeanne Shaheen and Reps. Jan Schakowsky, Dwight Evans and Danny Davis, are opting to pass the torch to a younger generation.

An unusually high number of lawmakers are running for governor, Senate and other political offices, including 11 House members and four senators running for governor of their state.

Only one election in the last century saw more retirements

The 55 House members who have already indicated they won't return to their current seats is more than any election cycle since recordkeeping began in 1930 — and second only to 65 retirements announced ahead of the 1992 election.

In the 2018 midterms during Trump's first presidency, 

 announced plans to retire. That number sits at 34 currently, with about eight months until Election Day.

For the Senate, the 1996 cycle saw 13 retirements, according to the 

Brookings Institution's Vital Statistics on Congress

, matching the current total. There have never been this many Senate Republicans retiring at once in the last century, records show.

Redistricting and narrow majorities in a midterm year are factors

Republicans have narrow control of both the House and the Senate heading into an election year where the party faces headwinds with voters unhappy with Trump's second-term agenda.

Efforts by Republican-led states to enact mid-decade gerrymandering to gain more favorable districts — and retaliatory redrawing by Democratic-led states like California — has led to a reshuffling of boundary lines that has accelerated some lawmakers' decisions.

The Supreme Court ruled that Texas' new congressional map would be used in 2026, coming just ahead of the state's Dec. 8 primary qualifying deadline that saw nine incumbents retire, file for the Senate or run for other offices.

California's drastic redraw that favors Democrats could see some targeted Republicans announce retirement or be forced into a primary challenge against another sitting Republican.

Several other states may still seek to redraw their House maps ahead of their qualifying deadlines.

Politics and Government News

Homepage

Stephen Fowler

Author

NPR is tracking the record number of congressional lawmakers — now more than one in eight current members — who have announced plans to retire or run for a different office in 2026.

The record-setting pace of retirements from Congress continues, led by Republicans

Go Deeper.

Like this?

News you can use in your inbox