Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., an ardent critic of President Trump, announced on Tuesday that he would not seek reelection – criticizing the president and the “flagrant disregard of truth and decency” as he made the announcement from the Senate floor.
Fall retirement announcements are nothing new. On average, 22 House members retire each cycle without seeking another office, Roll Call reported.
Here’s the list of Republicans, in the House and Senate, who have announced they will not seek reelection.
Bob Corker
Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., said he wouldn’t run for a third term. His feud with President Trump has only escalated.
(AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., announced on Sept. 27 that he will not seek a third term in 2018.
Corker, 65, had previously said that he “couldn’t imagine” serving more than two terms. Corker has often feuded with Trump.
Charlie Dent
Rep. Charlie Dent of Pennsylvania, who has been openly critical of President Donald Trump, announced his retirement in September.
(AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Pennsylvania Rep. Charlie Dent said on Sept. 7 that he would not seek reelection. The seven-term congressman told Fox News that he made the decision both for personal reasons and because “the polarization around here is pretty severe.”
Dent, 57, has been openly critical of Trump. He voted against party lines and a repeal of ObamaCare earlier this summer.
Jimmy Duncan
Rep. Jimmy Duncan Jr., R-Tenn., announced in July that he would not seek reelection.
In announcing his retirement, Duncan, 70, thanked conservatives who supported him against “recent attacks against me from the far left.”
“I love my job, but I love my family more.”
“I have decided I wanted to spend less time in airports, airplanes and traveling around the district and more time with my family, especially my nine grandchildren, who all live in Knoxville,” Duncan said. “I love my job, but I love my family more.”
Roll Call reported that Duncan’s sister, state Sen. Becky Duncan Massey, could launch a bid for his empty seat.
Jeff Flake
In announcing that he would not run for reelection, Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., slammed Republicans and President Trump.
(Reuters/Joshua Roberts)
Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., announced on Oct. 24 that he would not seek reelection. Flake is an ardent critic of Trump.
Flake, 54, faced a tough reelection campaign in Arizona against Kelli Ward, a physician who has also challenged Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. Trump has previously said that it’s “great” that Ward is running against a “toxic” Flake.
In announcing that he won’t run for reelection, Flake said the GOP is becoming a “backward-looking minority party.”
“It is clear in this moment that a traditional conservative, who believes in limited government and free markets, who is devoted to free-trade, who is pro-immigration, has a narrower and narrower path to nomination in the Republican Party, the party that has for so long defined itself by its belief in those things,” Flake said.
Lynn Jenkins
Thought to be a candidate for governor in Kansas, Rep. Lynn Jenkins instead said she’ll be returning to the private sector.
(Reuters/Mark Kauzlarich)
Rep. Lynn Jenkins, R-Kan., announced on Jan. 25 that she would not seek reelection or run for another office.
Jenkins, 54, said she wanted to return to the private sector although she was highly rumored to be a possible gubernatorial candidate in Kansas.
Sam Johnson
Longtime Rep. Sam Johnson, 86, announced his retirement in January.
(Reuters/Jason Reed)
Longtime Texas Rep. Sam Johnson announced his retirement on Jan. 6.
“For me, the Lord has made clear that the season of my life in Congress is coming to an end,” Johnson, 87, said.
Johnson is an Air Force veteran who was a prisoner of war at the infamous Hanoi Hilton in Vietnam.
Raul Labrador
Rep. Raul Labrador is running for governor in Idaho instead of seeking reelection.
(Reuters/Yuri Gripas)
Rep. Raul Labrador, R-Idaho, announced this summer that he would finish out his current term but then run for governor of Idaho in 2018 instead of reelection, according to HuffPost.
Labrador, 49, is a founding member of the House Freedom Caucus.
Tim Murphy
Rep. Tim Murphy, R-Pa., resigned from his position in October following reports that he attempted to pressure his mistress into having an abortion.
(AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
GOP Rep. Tim Murphy of Pennsylvania announced on Oct. 5 that he would resign his position in Congress. The news followed reports that the lawmaker, who has publicly been staunchly anti-abortion, had an affair and asked his mistress to get an abortion when they believed she was pregnant.
Murphy, 65, said he will “take personal time to seek help as my family and I continue to work through our personal difficulties.”
Kristi Noem
Rep. Kristi Noem is running for governor in South Dakota.
(Reuters/Larry Downing)
Instead of seeking reelection in 2018, Rep. Kristi Noem, R-S.D., announced in November 2016 that she will run for governor instead.
In her announcement, Noem, 45, officially kicked off her gubernatorial bid this year.
Steve Pearce
Rep. Steve Pearce is running for governor in New Mexico instead of reelection.
(Reuters/Yuri Gripas)
New Mexico Rep. Steve Pearce opted to run for governor of his state instead of reelection in July.
Pearce, 70, has been a congressman for more than 12 years. He told the Albuquerque Journal that as governor he would focus on the exodus of young people leaving the state.
Dave Reichert
Rep. Dave Reichert, R-Wash., has served seven terms in Congress.
(AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
After serving seven terms in Congress, Rep. Dave Reichert, R-Wash., said he would not seek reelection on Sept. 6. A former sheriff, Reichert, 67, represents a district that is being targeted by Democrats in 2018. Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton won the area in the 2016 election.
Reichert said the decision to retire from Congress was “the right one for my family and me.”
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen
Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., was not a strong supporter of President Trump.
(Reuters/Joe Skipper)
Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., announced on April 30 that she would not seek reelection. Ros-Lehtinen, 65, has been a congresswoman since 1989.
“The most difficult challenge is not to simply keep winning elections; but rather the more difficult challenge is to not let the ability to win define my seasons,” she said.
Born in Havana, Cuba, Ros-Lehtinen is considered a moderate Republican who was not a strong supporter of Trump.
Pat Tiberi
Rep. Pat Tiberi, R-Ohio, announced Oct. 19 that he would be resigning from office in early 2018 to lead a business policy group.
(AP Photo/John Minchillo)
Ohio Rep. Pat Tiberi announced on Oct. 19 that he would resign from Congress in early 2018 to lead the Ohio Business Roundtable, as the association’s president.
Serving as a Republican Congressman for 17 years, Tiberi, 55, said that while he has “not yet determined a final resignation date, I will be leaving Congress by January 31, 2018.”
Dave Trott
Rep. Dave Trott, R-Mich., said he will not seek reelection, potentially paving the way for the Republican-leaning district to flip.
(AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)
Rep. Dave Trott, R-Mich., announced on Sept. 11 that he would not seek reelection.
Trott, 57, will retire at the end of his second term. His district is Republican-leaning, but analysts told the Detroit News that a Democrat could flip the seat.
