The wave of congressional retirements continued Friday as Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-CO) announced he won’t seek re-election.
“I’m not getting any younger. I want to spend time with my children, grandchildren, with my wife. I want to look for opportunities to do good,” Lamborn said on the Richard Randall Show.
Lamborn, who first took office in 2007, is the longest-serving Republican in the state’s delegation.
With Lamborn’s exit, all three of Colorado’s Republican-held congressional seats are open heading into the 2024 election.
https://twitter.com/Mary_frostt/status/1743386000875729212
GOP Rep Announces Retirementhttps://t.co/DRx1BgboPC
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) January 5, 2024
The Hill reports:
Lamborn’s district has been a solidly Republican district and was not seen as competitive before his decision. Lamborn won his 2022 reelection bid with 57 percent of the vote.
Colorado itself is likely to be a battleground for the House, with Democrats seeking to pick up the 3rd District seat now held by Rep. Lauren Boebert (R). She has decided to leave that district to run for the seat being vacated by Rep. Ken Buck (R), who is retiring.
The 8th Congressional District in the state, held by Rep. Yadira Caraveo (D), is also seen as competitive and rated as a toss-up by the Cook Political Report. The 3rd District vacated by Boebert is rated lean Republican by Cook.
Lamborn’s announcement follows the retirement of Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer (R-MO).
“It has been an honor to serve the great people of the Third Congressional District and State of Missouri these past several years. However, after a lot of thoughtful discussion with my family, I have decided to not file for re-election and retire at the end of my term in December,” Luetkemeyer said in a statement posted to X.
“Over the coming months as I finish up my last term, I look forward to continuing to work with all my constituents on their myriad of issues as well as work on the many difficult and serious problems confronting our great country. There is still a lot to do,” he continued.
“As we tackle the many challenges we face, I hope we remember what someone once said, that ‘the greatness of our country is not found in the halls of Congress but in the hearts and homes of our people.’ That assessment is still true today. As we look into the future, I believe if we work hard, stay together, and believe in ourselves our best days are indeed still ahead,” he added.
— Blaine Luetkemeyer (@RepBlaine) January 4, 2024
Per Just the News:
Luetkemeyer first assumed his seat in 2009 and was a leading member of the House Financial Services Committee, The Hill noted.
At least 33 members of the House as of mid-December had announced they would not seek reelection, with 13 doing so in November alone.
Republicans currently hold an extremely slim majority in the House of Representatives.
Earlier this week, Rep. Bill Johnson (R-OH) submitted his resignation to the U.S. House of Representatives, effective January 21st.
The Ohio Republican will take over as Youngstown State University president.
Another Republican just resigned from Congress. Effective January 21, Ohio GOP Rep. Bill Johnson will take over as Youngstown State University president. https://t.co/tSWpOlwhC5
— Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) January 2, 2024
Republicans now hold a 219-213 edge in the House.
In the US House, Bill Johnson (R-Ohio) resigned today to accept a university presidency. With the expulsion of George Santos, the current count is:
219 Republicans
213 Democrats
A simple majority is 217, which means the Rs cannot lose more than two members on any votes.— Robert Collins (@DrRobertCollins) January 2, 2024