13 House members seek higher office
Lawmakers are leaving posts at a faster rate than in the past three elections.
WASHINGTON -- Four months into their new terms in Congress, 13 House members are seeking promotions to the U.S. Senate or statewide office — as lawmakers give up their posts at a faster rate than they have for the past three elections.
By comparison, five House members had announced plans to leave their positions by May 2007, the most recent non-election year. Most of the current departures come from the Republican ranks, leaving GOP-held seats open and posing further problems for a party struggling to rebuild after losing the White House and more ground in Congress last year.
"The Republicans have taken terrible beatings over the last four years, and 2010 is shaping up to be another good Democratic year," said Cal Jillson, a political scientist at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. GOP members, he added, "are casting about for anything that looks better than what they have."
Seven of the departing House members have jumped into governor's races, in which 38 seats are up for grabs from now until November 2010, compared with 11 last year. Big issues loom for governors — from guiding their states out of recession to helping to carve out congressional districts based on next year's Census.
"You can be one of a small Republican minority in the House or have the opportunity to be the CEO of an entire state and affect congressional campaigns for the next decade," said Nathan Gonzales, an analyst with the non-partisan Rothenberg Political Report. "Running for governor may look a lot more appealing."
Nine-term Republican Rep. Nathan Deal was the latest House defection, announcing his candidacy for Georgia governor on Friday.
Republican Rep. Zach Wamp said he entered the Tennessee governor's race in January to press for a "bold and dynamic agenda for the future of the state that doesn't rely so much on the federal government." The eight-term congressman said he was not influenced by GOP losses on Capitol Hill.
Democrat Rep. Artur Davis, seeking to become Alabama's first African-American governor, said his timing was straightforward: Next year marks the first time in 24 years that an incumbent governor has not sought the seat.
"It is much easier to run in an open seat," the four-term congressman said, adding that his decision was no surprise to voters in his Birmingham-area district because he has publicly mulled a gubernatorial bid since 2004. Davis ran unopposed last year and announced for his run for governor in February.
Five House members are running for the U.S. Senate, and a sixth, Rep. Adam Putnam, R-Fla., is a candidate for state agriculture commissioner. More departures could be on their way: Rep. Mark Kirk, R-Ill., has said he is considering a campaign for governor.
In the Senate, Republican Sam Brownback is running for Kansas governor. Overall, six senators have announced plans to leave; all but one is Republican. That doesn't count senators who left to join the Obama administration.
Open seats are harder to defend than those held by incumbents. Last year, for instance, Republicans had 29 open House seats, compared with six held by Democrats heading into the November election. The Republicans lost 24 total seats in the House.
Paul Lindsay, a spokesman for the campaign committee charged with electing House Republicans, said party officials aren't worried. Several of the departures are coming from solidly Republican districts, and midterm elections traditionally favor the party out of office.
"Many Americans are fed up with the reckless spending that's going on in Washington" and will look to GOP candidates "to stand up to that," he said.