Last Congress, more than 50 members of the House announced they would not seek reelection.
The mass exodus during the 118th Congress included some of Capitol Hill’s most seasoned lawmakers, many of whom said they were desperate to escape the partisan battles that had become inescapable.
The rise in Donald Trump’s loyalists had drowned out his few Republican critics in Congress, a trend that political scientists say has propelled the House to become more polarized and pushed some lawmakers interested in bipartisan compromise toward the exits. And the demands of life with a member pin — the bad flights, the bad cafeteria food, the bad schedule — had left some older members weary and craving the creature comforts of home.