Despite controlling the presidency, Congress, and Supreme Court, things aren’t looking to good for the Republican Party ahead of the 2018 midterms. Even though Republicans have taken firm control over a majority of state houses and governorships across the US, and seen miraculous presidential victory in 2016, the GOP is seeing its members of Congress retiring left and right.
With so much on the line in the 2018 midterms, it’s disheartening to see so many incumbents relinquish their seats when the nation’s future and Trump’s agenda is on the knife’s edge. While some of the retirees aren’t anything special, the latest man to announce his departure is one of the fiercest and consistent conservatives in Congress.
As reported in the New York Post, Republican Rep. Trey Gowdy, chairman of the House Oversight Committee, said Wednesday he will not seek re-election. That makes Gowdy the 34th GOP member of the House to flee for the exit before the midterms.
“There is a time to come and a time to go. This is the right time, for me, to leave politics and return to the justice system,” the South Carolina lawmaker said on Twitter.
“Whatever skills I may have are better utilized in a courtroom than in Congress, and I enjoy our justice system more than our political system. As I look back on my career, it is the jobs that both seek and reward fairness that are most rewarding,” Gowdy, a former federal prosecutor, said in the statement.
Adding to the impact of the deluge of departures is that Gowdy is the 10th committee chairman of the bunch to call it quits, with him being in charge of the all-important oversight committee.
Gowdy’s announcement comes just two days after the previous one made by Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen, a New Jersey Republican who announced he wouldn’t be seeking re-election either.
“Public service is an incredible way to turn your convictions into something that serves the greater good and to do it alongside people from every walk of life and background, ” said Frelinghuysen, chair of the House Appropriations Committee.
While Gowdy himself is a huge loss, as he’s one of the few consistent and active Republicans, his seat should be safe. Frelinghuysen, on the other hand, comes from the deep blue state of New Jersey, and an area where Trump won by only a single percentage point.
Gowdy has been in the House since 2010 and mentioned that his departure was designed to give prospective candidates the time necessary to gear up their respective campaigns.
“There is no perfect time to make this announcement, but with filing opening in six weeks, it is important to give the women and men in South Carolina who might be interested in serving ample time to reflect on the decision,” he said.
Gowdy will be sorely missed. We can only hope that his replacement is half the politician he was, as that would still put the person far above the average member of the GOP.
Source: New York Post