Former DCCC chair Sean Patrick Maloney passes on comeback bid
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Former Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney won't seek a rematch against Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) in 2026, he told Axios.
Why it matters: Nearly a dozen former House members are trying to return to Congress this cycle. But Maloney, who explored a comeback over the summer, won't be one of them and has closed his 2026 campaign account.
- "I have decided not to run for Congress in 2026," Maloney, who served as former President Biden's Ambassador to the OECD after losing to Lawler in 2022, told Axios.
- "There are excellent candidates running and I believe the Congress and our party would benefit from having them in what will be a renewed Democratic majority," he said.
The big picture: Maloney's lack of interest in the House tracks with the record-setting number of incumbents who are fleeing the institution.
- Lawler is one of Democrats top targets in mid-term election and is one of three GOP incumbents who represents a seat that former Vice President Harris won in 2024.
- Maloney was chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee — which works to elect House Democrats — from 2021-2023.
By the numbers: Forty-four House incumbents — 19 Democrats and 25 Republicans — won't be running for reelection in their House seats, with 18 saying they are retiring from public life, according to Ballotpedia.
- Fourteen House lawmakers — evenly split between the parties — are running for the Senate.
- Eleven members — one Democrat and 10 Republicans — are running for governor.
- In addition, three House GOP incumbents have decided to leave Congress early, with Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) marking her last day on Monday.
The bottom line: Republican retirements and resignations have been outpacing Democrats by nearly a 2-to-1 ratio — a potentially worrying sign for Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.).
