Sep 4, 2019

GOP Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner will not seek re-election

Wisconsin Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner. Photo: Bill Clark/Getty Images

Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.) said Wednesday he will not seek re-election after a 40-year tenure representing his heavily Republican district, according to the the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

The big picture: Sensenbrenner is the longest-serving Republican on the House Judiciary Committee and was one of the House managers who presented Bill Clinton's impeachment case to the Senate. House Republicans are hoping to regain the majority from Democrats in 2020, but have already seen 15 retirements so far this cycle — including Texas Rep. Bill Flores earlier on Wednesday.

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Rashaan Ayesh

Rep. Bill Flores is the 5th Texas Republican to announce retirement

Rep. Bill Flores. Photo: Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call/Getty Images

Rep. Bill Flores (R-Texas) announced Wednesday that he will not seek re-election in 2020, becoming the fifth Texas Republican — and the 15th Republican overall — to retire from the House this term.

The big picture: House Republicans want to regain control of the chamber from Democrats in 2020, but the continued exodus of GOP members will make the task even more challenging. Texas, which hold 38 electoral college votes, is becoming a more competitive state for Democrats across all levels of government.

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Jacob Knutson

Rep. Mac Thornberry is the 6th Texas Republican to announce retirement

Rep. Mac Thornberry. Photo: Michael Brochstein/SOPA Images/LightRocket/Getty Images

Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-Texas) announced Monday that he will not seek re-election in 2020, becoming the 6th Texas Republican — and 19th Republican overall — to retire from the House this term.

Why it matters: Republicans hope to reclaim the House in 2020, but early retirements could complicate that task. Thornberry's retirement means that more than a quarter of Texas' 23 House Republicans will leave at the end of this term, further complicating the party's status in a state that is becoming increasingly competitive for Democrats.

Go deeperSep 30, 2019

Alexi McCammond

Texas Republicans admit there's a problem

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

The retirement of six House Republicans from Texas at the end of this term shows their pessimism about winning back the House majority in 2020, GOP strategists tell Axios — and foreshadows bigger Republican fears in the nation's second most populous state.

The big picture: The GOP recognizes they can no longer ignore their Democratic opponents and count on coasting to re-election in this previously-reliable red state.

Go deeperOct 1, 2019