Rep. Ted Deutch Becomes 31st House Democrat to Announce They Won’t Be Seeking Re-Election

Democrats continue jumping ship ahead of the 2022 midterms, with Rep. Ted Deutch becoming the latest to announce his departure.

That brings the total not seeking re-election this fall to 31, or 14% of all House Democrats. Only 15 Republicans won’t be running again. Of those leaving the House, 8 Democrats and 7 Republicans will be seeking other office, while the rest are retiring.

Please read my full statement here 👉https://t.co/aZnZMV27oc pic.twitter.com/LTtY5SRInl

— Rep. Ted Deutch (@RepTedDeutch) February 28, 2022

Last month when there were still 30 retirees, an analysis from Breitbart found that the GOP could retake the House just from retirements alone (where they only need to win a net six seats to retake the majority):

Republicans are only in the minority by five seats with 30 total Democrat retirements, the largest mass exodus in three decades.

Some of the districts that will likely fall to Republicans from Democrats’ grasp have not been finalized by state legislatures or courts. However, Punchbowl estimated the following districts will change from blue to red:

1. Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick (AZ-6) — Lean R (R+7)
2. Rep. Cheri Bustos (IL-17) Toss-up (D+4)
3. Rep. Tim Ryan (OH-13) — Map not finalized
4. Rep. Charlie Crist (FL-13) — Map not finalized
5. Rep. Ron Kind (WI-3) — Map not finalized
6. Rep. Conor Lamb (PA-17) — Map not finalized
7. Rep. G.K. Butterfield (NC-1) — Map not finalized
8. Rep. Stephanie Murphy (FL-7) — Map not finalized
9. Rep. Ed Perlmutter (CO-7) — Toss-up (D+6)
10. Rep. Jim Cooper (TN-5) — R+15, solid R

The analysis also includes three house seats that Republicans have a shot at flipping but may be an uphill battle:

1. Rep. Jerry McNerney (CA-9) — D+8. Redistricted into a seat with Frontline Rep. Josh Harder.
2. Rep. Kathleen Rice (NY-4) — D+8
3. Rep. Peter DeFazio (OR-4) — D+9

Rep. Deutsch’s seat would fall into the “uphill” category, as it’s a D+6 district.

Meanwhile on the generic ballot, the GOP has the largest lead in the past forty years – and more than twice the lead they had in the 2010 midterms when they won a net 63 seats, the largest shift in seats since 1948.

GOP ahead in generic ballot in just two midterms in last 40 years. Now, eight months out, ahead again. https://t.co/ktAjrExsR7

— Byron York (@ByronYork) February 27, 2022

Matt Palumbo is the author of The Man Behind the Curtain: Inside the Secret Network of George Soros