Senior House Democrats Announce Retirement From Congress

Two longtime members of Congress have revealed that they won't seek reelection next year.

Reps. David Price (N.C.) and Mike Doyle (Pa.) both represent safe districts. However, their retirement comes as the party needs veteran lawmakers to shepherd President Biden's agenda through the legislative process.

Price and Doyle's announcements come one week after House Budget Committee Chairman John Yarmuth (D-Ky.) revealed his plan to retire at the end of his current term.

As POLITICO reports:

Senior Democrats downplayed the latest announcements, saying both Price and Doyle had been privately forecasting their retirement plans to close colleagues for several months. But the loss of the two longtime members — both deans of their respective state delegations — comes as the House Democratic Caucus faces the potential for significant turnover next year, including in its top leaders.

“While it is time for me to retire, it is no time to flag in our efforts to secure a ‘more perfect union' and to protect and expand our democracy,” Price said in a statement.

So far, 12 House Democrats have announced that they won't run for reelection. Five, including Reps. Tim Ryan (Ohio), Val Demings (Fla.) and Conor Lamb (Pa.) are running for other offices. Some represent competitive districts, though that may change after redistricting.

Doyle is retiring from a solidly blue, Pittsburgh-area seat. He already had a primary challenger, and his departure will likely draw other big-name Democrats. Pennsylvania is losing a seat in redistricting and has a GOP-led legislature, but Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf can veto any Republican-drawn map.

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Price represents a safe Democratic seat in North Carolina's Research Triangle area. The state is gaining a seat in redistricting, and Republicans have total control over the process.

With Republicans only needing to flip five seats in the U.S. House and recent missteps by the Biden administration, many Democrats are pessimistic about their chances in 2022. (RELATED: Never Trump Republicans Come to the Rescue of Endangered Democrats)