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By Peter Aitken
Politics Weekend Editor
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Representative Mark Amodei of Nevada, a Republican, on Friday added his name to the list of dozens of Republicans who will not seek reelection in the 2026 midterms, bringing the total to 30 lawmakers on the right who will retire from their offices.
In a press release issued Friday afternoon, Amodei said: "Serving the people of Nevada has been the honor of my lifetime. Nobody is prouder of our Nevada Congressional district than me Thank you for the honor. Every achievement worth doing began with listening to Nevadans and fighting for our values."
"I came to Congress to solve problems and to make sure our state and nation have strong voice in the federal policy and oversight processes. I look forward to finishing my term. After 15 years of service, I believe it is the right time for Nevada and myself to pass the torch," he added.
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Why It Matters
Republicans have a slim majority in Congress with 218 seats to the Democrats' 213, marking a sharp warning for a party that came out of the 2024 election on a high, having secured the White House and both chambers of Congress.
However, President Donald Trump pulled several Republicans from the House to serve in his Cabinet, including Mike Waltz of Florida and Representative Elise Stefanik of New York, whom he nominated for ambassador to the United Nations but later withdrew the nomination due to concerns that the House majority was already too thin.
Other Republicans, such as Mark Green of Tennessee and Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, vacated their seats, while Doug LaMalfa of California passed away.
Some analysts have warned that Trump faces an uphill battle to retain control of the House, which historically sees the ruling party suffer significant losses if they also control the White House during the sitting president's first midterm election: Trump, recognizing this potential speed bump for his administration, urged states to redistrict their election maps and hand Republicans a boost, to which some Democrat-run state have responded with their own redistricting plans.

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What To Know
According to available records dating back to 2012, a significant number of representatives retire each year—roughly 10 percent of the total chamber—and the divide between the parties fluctuates dramatically. In that time period, 2018 saw the largest number of lawmakers retire, with 52 total, comprised of 18 Democrats and 34 Republicans; meanwhile, 2016 saw the fewest, with 28 lawmakers, comprised of eight Democrats and 20 Republicans.
In 2020, 36 Republicans decided not to seek reelection, while in 2022, 33 Democrats did, the most for each party in this time period.
By comparison, 2026 already has 51 lawmakers in the House ruling out midterm bids, with 30 Republicans and 21 Democrats.
The Republicans not seeking reelection in the House, either to leave politics entirely or to seek office elsewhere includes:
- Mark Amodei of Nevada
- Jodey Arrington of Texas
- Don Bacon of Nebraska
- Andy Barr of Kentucky
- Andy Biggs of Arizona
- Vernon Buchanan of Florida
- Buddy Carter of Georgia
- Mike Collins of Georgia
- Byron Donalds of Florida
- Neal Dunn of Florida
- Randy Feenstra of Iowa
- Harriet Hageman of Wyoming
- Ashley Hinson of Iowa
- Wesley Hunt of Texas
- John James of Michigan
- Dusty Johnson of South Dakota
- Julia Letlow of Louisiana
- Barry Loudermilk of Georgia
- Morgan Luttrell of Texas
- Nancy Mace of South Carolina
- Michael McCaul of Texas
- Barry Moore of Alabama
- Troy Nehls of Texas
- Dan Newhouse of Washington
- Ralph Norman of South Carolina
- John Rose of Tennessee
- Chip Roy of Texas
- David Schweikert of Arizona
- Elise Stefanik of New York
- Tom Tiffany of Wisconsin
Of those 30 Republicans, eight are leaving to seek a seat in the Senate, with almost half of those seeking to unseat a senator from their party: Moore is attempting to unseat Senator Tommy Tuberville of Alabama, Letlow is attempting to unseat Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, and Hunt is attempting to unseat Senator John Cornyn of Texas.
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