House Updates: Spanberger Running for Governor; Higgins Resigning; Amo to be Sworn In

Note: Shortly after we published this article, Republican Michael Burgess (TX-26) released a statement announcing he will retire at the end of this term. This brings to 26 the number of current U.S. House members not running for reelection next year.

Updates on three U.S. House districts: 

Virginia District 7

Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger announced that she will run for governor of Virginia in 2025. She is the first candidate to formally join the race to succeed Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who is term-limited. Virginia is the only state that does not allow governors to serve consecutive terms.

According to the New York Times, "Her early announcement is intended to allow a successor to build a campaign for the 2024 House race, which Democrats believe would provide a more favorable electorate than a special election."

District 7 is located in the northcentral part of the state, extending from south of the Washington D.C. area to north of Charlottesville and Richmond. It is a competitive district, made more so by the departure of the incumbent. The Cook Political Report rerated the district from Likely to Leans Democrat after Spanberger's announcement.

New York District 26

Confirming reports from last week, Democrat Brian Higgins announced he will resign in early February from this safely Democratic Buffalo area district. Once Higgins leave, Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) will have 10 days to call a special election, with that election taking place 70-80 days after that. 

Rhode Island District 1

The newest member of the U.S. House will be sworn in Monday evening. Former White House aide Gabe Amo won the special election to complete the term of fellow Democrat David Cicilline, who resigned in May.

Once Amo is seated, the partisan composition of the House will be 221 Republicans and 213 Democrats. The remaining vacancy, in Utah's 2nd District, will be filled via special election on November 21.