Retiring Republicans
By Crystal Liu
After Donald Trump was elected, many Republicans believed he would usher in a line of GOP legislature and lead the Republican Party to greater heights. Unfortunately, disagreements about the budget, Trump’s ties to Russia, and Trump’s attacks on some Republicans have led to a divide among the members of the Republican Party, causing some Republican lawmakers to announce plans to temporarily retire from Congress.
The latest Republican to retire has been two-term Representative Dave Trott, who released the news last Monday. “This was not an easy decision, but after careful consideration, I have decided that the best course for me is to spend more time with my family and return to the private sector,” he said.
Trott represents Michigan’s 11th District. Normally a Republican-leaning area, the district is predicted as a toss-up in next year’s elections.
With his resignation, Trott joins Reps. Charlie Dent (R-Pa.), Dave Reichert (R-Wash.), and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Flor.). All of the lawmakers who have decided not to run for re-election have been House Republicans in heavily Democrat-contested districts, possibly giving the Democrats the edge in 2018 elections. The Democrats only need 24 seats turnover in the House to gain majority.
Also on Monday, influential veteran Senator Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee told reporters he was debating whether to run again. “I think everyone … knows, as they did in 2012, that running for reelection has never been an automatic for me,” Corker said.
This news comes after Corker’s criticism of Trump’s response to the Charlotteville protests in mid-August, saying, “The President has not yet, has not yet been able to demonstrate the stability nor some of the competence that he needs to demonstrate in order to be successful.”
Trump subsequently tweeted, “Strange statement by Bob Corker considering that he is constantly asking me whether or not he should run again in ’18. Tennessee not happy!”
Although GOP members say that the current rate of resignations is normal, some think that it is a symptom of underlying party disunity. The Republican attempt to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, which aimed to be the centerpiece of Republican legislation, earlier this year died on the Senate floor. Afterwards, Trump tweeted against Paul Ryan and publicly disparaged Republican lawmakers. One of Trump’s main goals when running for election was to “drain the swamp,” and Trump has attacked establishment Republican officials numerous times.
