2 more Dems to exit House
GOP takeover hopes rise
Reps. Lucille Roybal-Allard and Albio Sires have announced they will not seek re-election in 2022, becoming the 22nd and 23rd House Democrats not to contest their seats next year.
“After thirty years in the House of Representatives, the time has come for me to spend more time with my family,” Roybal-Allard (Calif.) tweeted Monday night.
“Serving my constituents in Congress has been the single most distinguished honor of my life. Over my many years of public service, I have always strived to do that which is best to help improve my community and my country.”
Pioneer pol
Roybal-Allard was elected to Congress in 1992, becoming the first Mexican-American woman to win a House seat. Throughout her time in office, she was a leading voice for immigration reform and was one of the original co-authors of the DREAM Act, a proposal providing a pathway to permanent residency for immigrants brought to the United States illegally as children.
Roybal-Allard also chaired the powerful House Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security. She won re-election in 2020 with more than 72 percent of the vote, and her heavily Democratic, majority-Hispanic district is certain to remain blue for the foreseeable future.
Sires (NJ), the former mayor of West New York, announced his intention not to seek re-election Tuesday, saying in a statement: “I consider the recent passing of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the billions of dollars we are delivering to fix New Jersey’s infrastructure, including the Gateway Project, as the capstone to a career of service.”
Earlier Monday, as previously reported, Rep. Stephanie Murphy (D-Fla.) revealed she will not contest her seat next year.
Democrats are underdogs to keep control of Congress in 2022, with Republicans needing to flip just five seats to regain the House.
“House Democrats’ nightmare before Christmas just keeps getting worse,” National Republican Congressional Committee spokesman Mike Berg said in a statement. “Nobody wants to run as a Democrat because they know voters are rejecting their push for defunding police, higher taxes and open borders.”