House Editor David Wasserman looks at the political landscape in the House
Even during the August recess of an off-year, we are reminded how quickly the tables can turn in congressional politics.
Just one week ago, the count of House members not seeking reelection in 2008 stood at three Democrats and two Republicans. Now, following the un-retirement announcement of Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-IL-4) and retirement announcements from Reps. Dennis Hastert (R-IL-14), Chip Pickering (R-MS-03), and Deborah Pryce (R-OH-15), the tally stands at two Democrats and five Republicans.
To be sure, no congressional party likes another open seat to defend. Democrats have their fingers crossed and hope it keeps raining GOP retirements, and Republicans are doing all they can to simply rein them in. But it's important to remember that while last week's rush of departure announcements amounted to a flash flood of gloomy press for House Republicans, the GOP dam hasn't truly broken open--yet.
It is remarkable that at this point in the cycle, fewer than 2 percent of House incumbents have made plans to leave the chamber after
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