Democrats seeing red: Four seats Biden's party hopes to flip amid retirement boom
The Democratic Party is looking to make gains in several districts across the country in 2024, particularly in the wake of a congressional exodus wherein multiple Republicans have said they won't be seeking reelection.
Nearly three dozen members of the House of Representatives have revealed their intention not to seek reelection, a number that is on par with that of the 2022 election cycle. And while many of the departing lawmakers are Democratic, numerous Republicans are opting to leave the House as well, and their seats are expected to be targets for House Democrats in 2024 as they look to take back the majority.
Here are some of the most significant pickup opportunities for the Democratic Party due to Republican retirements.
Rep. George Santos (R-NY)
The freshman New York lawmaker recently announced he wouldn't be seeking reelection in 2024, following a whirlwind first term characterized by accusations of crime and misconduct and investigations by both the Ethics Committee and the Department of Justice.
The accusations against Santos ranged from criminal to just plain odd. The congressman faced backlash, for example, over claiming he was Jewish on the campaign trail. He justified what some claimed was deception by saying, "I said I was 'Jew-ish,'" using the adverb which is "used for saying that something is not completely true or exactly right," per the Cambridge Dictionary.
It wasn't until the scathing report from the Ethics Committee was released, which alleged that he spent campaign funds on cosmetic procedures, designer goods, and on the website OnlyFans (which is known for pornographic content), that he announced his intention not to seek reelection.
Rated as "Lean Democrat" by the Cook Political Report, this is considered the largest pickup opportunity for House Democrats in 2024, aside from Alabama's new congressional seat in its 2nd District.
Rep. Ken Buck (R-CO)
Buck, a hard-line conservative member of the House Freedom Caucus, announced he wouldn't run again earlier this month after bucking his caucus during a lengthy series of speaker votes before Speaker Mike Johnson's (R-LA) election. When the caucus's first-ever chairman, Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), ran for the post, Buck voted against him, specifically taking issue with Jordan's beliefs that the 2020 election was stolen and actions ahead of the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.