Election News

Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson will seek a third term this year. He made the announcement via an opinion piece published Sunday at WSJ.com. The move comes a day after his fellow Republican, South Dakota Sen. John Thune said he too will run in November. 

Today, I am announcing I will continue to fight for freedom in the public realm by running for re-election. It is not a decision I have made lightly. #WISen

Read more about my decision here: https://t.co/mLufNGWYhl

— Ron Johnson (@RonJohnsonWI) January 9, 2022

Unlike South Dakota, where Thune should have little trouble winning a 4th term, the Wisconsin race is expected to be one of the most fiercely-contested in the country. About a dozen Democrats have already entered the race; the early frontrunner appears to be Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes.  

Despite being loathed by Democrats, many in the party hoped Johnson would seek another term. As The Hill reported last week: "Democrats view him as vulnerable, pointing to provocative comments on the coronavirus, 2020 election, racial justice protests and more, and are eager to take another crack at him."

All 34 Senate incumbents holding seats up in 2022 have now made their reelection intentions known. Five Republicans and one Democrat are retiring:  Roy Blunt (R-Missouri), Richard Burr (R-North Carolina), Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont), Rob Portman (R-Ohio), Richard Shelby (R-Alabama), Pat Toomey (R-Pennsylvania). The remaining 15 Republicans and 13 Democrats are running. The Senate is currently evenly split at 50-50; Democrats control by virtue of Vice-President Kamala Harris' ability to break ties.

Michigan Rep. Brenda Lawrence (D, MI-14) announced late Tuesday that she will not run for a 5th term. She is the 25th House Democrat to retire or seek another office this year.

Rep. Bobby Rush, the dean of Illinois' U.S. House delegation, will not seek a 16th term in this year's midterm elections. He becomes the 24th Democrat to announce they are retiring or seeking another office this year. 11 Republicans have made that decision. 

Rush has represented the state's 1st congressional district for the entirety of his 30 years in the House. In its current form, it extends southwest from the south side of Chicago. While the boundaries are changing in redistricting, it will remain a safely Democratic district. He won his final term by a 48% margin in 2020.

Rush has the distinction of being the only person to defeat former President Barack Obama in an election. Obama, then a state Senator, challenged him in the 2000 Democratic primary.

Devin Nunes officially resigned from Congress Monday. The move comes four weeks after he announced his intention to depart. Nunes is leaving to helm Trump Media & Technology Group, which is preparing to launch TRUTH Social, a new social media platform.

There are now two vacancies in the U.S. House, with Democrats holding a narrow 221-212 edge. The other open seat, in Florida's 20th congressional district, will be filled via a special election next Tuesday. That safely Democratic district was previously represented by Alcee Hastings, who died in April, 2021. 

The image links to the House Interactive Map; choose 'Current House' view to see the current composition: 

Michigan and Virginia's recently-approved congressional districts have been added to the 2022 House Interactive Map. Initial ratings, from The Cook Political Report, are available for those states as well as Georgia, where Gov. Brian Kemp signed redistricting into law on Thursday.

Read the full Cook Political analysis ($)>>

The map now includes shapes for 283 out of the 435 congressional districts. Click/tap the image below for an interactive version of the Cook Political forecast.

New Jersey's recently-approved congressional districts have been added to the 2022 House Interactive Map.

According to Politico, "Barring a massive wave election for either side, Democrats’ 10-2 majority in the New Jersey delegation is likely to shrink to 9-3 under the new map. That’s because the state’s 7th District, represented by Rep. Tom Malinowski, will shed Democratic areas to the benefit of three other previously-vulnerable Democratic incumbents." For a deeper dive into some of the more competitive districts, see this analysis from Split Ticket.

New Jersey is the 23rd multi-district state to complete redistricting. Six states have a single at-large district. Also included on the interactive map is redistricting approved by the legislatures of Arkansas and Georgia. While these await gubernatorial action (Georgia) or inaction (Arkansas), the new maps are all but certain to become law.

California's independent redistricting commission approved a new congressional map earlier this week. While the map is not yet certified, it is all but certain to be in the near future. For the first time since statehood, California is losing a congressional district. It will have 52 for the next decade, still by far the most in the nation.

Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard (D, CA-40) announced her retirement late Monday. She becomes the third Los Angeles area Democratic House member to announce they aren't running for reelection. Alan Lowenthal (CA-47) is retiring, while Karen Bass (CA-37) is running for mayor of Los Angeles. 

Roybal-Allard, 80 years old, won her 15th and final term by 45 points in 2020. 

Serving my constituents in Congress has been the single most distinguished honor of my life.

Over my many years of public service, I have always strived to do that which is best to help improve my community and my country. 1/3

— Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard (@RepRoybalAllard) December 21, 2021

Her decision may have partially been driven by redistricting that is currently underway. For the first time in its history, California is losing a congressional district. In the approved final proposal from the independent commission, Roybal-Allard and Lowenthal would have been essentially merged together into the new 42nd district. Their joint departure creates a much easier path for Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia (D) to win a House seat in the 2022 midterms. Garcia announced his congressional run after Lowenthal's retirement announcement last week.

Retirement Map

23 Democrats and 13 Republicans are retiring or seeking another office in 2022. Click/tap the map for a detailed list.

Democratic Reps. Stephanie Murphy (FL-7) and Albio Sires (NJ-8) will not seek reelection next year. This brings to 22 the number of current House Democrats retiring or seeking another office. 11 Republicans have made that decision.

Five-term California Rep. Alan Lowenthal announced Thursday that he won't run for reelection next year. He becomes the 20th Democrat to announce they are retiring or seeking another office in 2022.