The situation for Congressional Dems moving into the 2022 mid-term election has just worsened yet again. Four-term Congresswoman Brenda Lawrence (D-MI) has announced that she like two-dozen other Democrat lawmakers will not be seeking re-election and will instead be retiring from Congress. That brings the overall total of Democrats clocking out for the last time in January 2023 to Twenty-Five.
Dems Representative For Michigan Has Had Enough
Detroit News reported that Lawrence told them, “I love the 30-year ride I’ve had- the challenges, the successes, the fighting for democracy. I have so much gratitude for the opportunity I’ve had.”
“I’ve been married 50 years. I’m healthy. I’m at the top of my game. I have the opportunity to turn the page and to be able to start another chapter in my life of leadership, and I’m looking forward to it. And my family – who have shared me for 30 years – are very, very excited about,”
According to ClickOnDetroit, Lawrence added “I’ve lost two sisters within 12 months,” she said. “I’m the only one of my siblings left, and looking at my mortality and looking at my family who for 30 years accepted the role of coming last over my constituents. It’s time, and I feel really good about the next phase of my life.””
This year marks my 30th year in elected public service, and I've had the good fortune of serving Michiganders on the local and national level.
After reflecting on my journey & having conversations with my family, I'm announcing that I will not be seeking re-election to Congress. pic.twitter.com/QBmdExSKaj
— Brenda Lawrence (@RepLawrence) January 5, 2022
In an interview with Fox2 Detroit, Lawrence indicated that the Capitol riot played a role in her decision as well.
“January the sixth had a major impact on how I felt about the state of our Democracy, decorum and all the other things that, as a person who has given 30 years of her life to public service – Jan. 6 took a big toll on me personally,” she said.
According to journalist Roop Raj, “Lawrence said her decision was based on letting the next generation of leaders step up. She added it was not connected to the redrawing of voting district maps across the state.”
According to NPR, the current list of Democrats retiring includes:
NAME
|
DISTRICT
|
STATUS
|
FIRST ELECTED
|
---|---|---|---|
Ann Kirkpatrick | AZ-02 | Retiring | 2009 |
Jackie Speier | CA-14 | Retiring | 2008 |
Karen Bass | CA-37 | Running for mayor | 2011 |
Lucille Roybal-Allard | CA-40 | Retiring | 1992 |
Alan Lowenthal | CA-47 | Retiring | 2012 |
Stephanie Murphy | FL-07 | Retiring | 2016 |
Val Demings | FL-10 | Running for Senate | 2017 |
Charlie Crist | FL-13 | Running for governor | 2017 |
Bobby Rush | IL-01 | Retiring | 1992 |
Cheri Bustos | IL-17 | Retiring | 2013 |
John Yarmuth | KY-03 | Retiring | 2006 |
Anthony Brown | MD-04 | Running for attorney general | 2017 |
Brenda Lawrence | MI-14 | Retiring | 2014 |
G.K. Butterfield | NC-01 | Retiring | 2004 |
David Price | NC-04 | Retiring | 1987 |
Albio Sires | NJ-08 | Retiring | 2006 |
Tom Suozzi | NY-03 | Running for governor | 2017 |
Tim Ryan | OH-13 | Running for Senate | 2013 |
Peter DeFazio | OR-04 | Retiring | 1987 |
Conor Lamb | PA-17 | Running for Senate | 2019 |
Mike Doyle | PA-18 | Retiring | 1995 |
Eddie Bernice Johnson | TX-30 | Retiring | 1993 |
Filemon Vela | TX-34 | Retiring | 2012 |
Peter Welch | VT-AL | Running for Senate | 2007 |
Ron Kind | WI-03 | Retiring | 1997 |
In contrast, a mere 12 Republicans are stepping aside this year, and with five Republican Senators also stepping down with only two of them in toss-up states, the stage could be set for the ‘Red Tsunami’ many pundits have predicted to truly sweep through, leaving Speaker Nancy Pelosi, sidelined and powerless.