Dem
51
GOP
49
It would seem the only thing worse, these days, than serving in Congress is NOT serving in Congress. This week, three current or former members of the House who had previously decided to depart Congress changed their minds.
First up is Rep. Mark Green (R-TN), who said he had achieved what he had set out to achieve when the House Homeland Security Committee, which he chairs, impeached DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. He has now rethought that, and says that he's going to hold on to his seat, after all. His district, TN-07, is very red (R+10), so he's safe, assuming voters there don't punish him for his waffling.
And then there is Matt Rosendale (R-MT), who flirted with a U.S. Senate run for a week, and then hinted at retirement for another week. Now, he says he wants to stay in Congress, and will run for reelection to his seat. He'll face a primary battle, and since he's a fire-breathing right-winger, he might be vulnerable to a challenge from a more centrist candidate. Probably not, though, since MT-02 is R+16. Fun trivia fact: By area, MT-02 is the largest congressional district in the country that is not comprised of an entire state.
And finally, a former Republican House member who decided he'd like to return to Washington, albeit with a promotion. That would be Justin Amash, who was a Republican and then became either a Libertarian or an independent, depending on who you ask, in response to the actions of Donald Trump that led to impeachment. Amash is now back to being a Republican, and thinks he might just enjoy being a U.S. Senator. In his announcement for the open seat in Michigan, he explained:
The past few years away from Congress have given me time to reflect on the experiences that have shaped my life, the principles of liberty that inspire me, and what my tenure in Congress meant to the people of my community...
Regardless of who wins the White House and Congress, the United States will remain deeply polarized. What we need is not a rubber stamp for either party, but an independent-minded senator prepared to challenge anyone and everyone on the people's behalf—someone focused not on extending federal power so Republicans or Democrats in Washington can achieve their political ends, but on ensuring that Americans have the personal and economic freedom to pursue their own ends...
The "politician who is above partisanship" sounds good on paper, but such folks rarely attract enough votes to be competitive. We suppose it's not impossible that, in a Republican primary that already had 12 other candidates, including at least three or four serious ones, Amash could eke out a plurality. But we doubt it. (Z)