On Sept. 18, U.S. Rep. Jennifer Wexton became the 14th U.S. House member to announce they will not run for re-election in 2024.
Wexton, an attorney and former state senator, was first elected in 2018 after defeating incumbent Rep. Barbara Comstock (R-Va.) 56%-44%. Wexton is retiring from public office following a medical diagnosis.
Including Wexton, 20 members of Congress—six Senators and 14 Representatives—have announced they will not seek re-election in 2024 as of Sept. 18.
This includes 14 Democrats—four in the Senate and 10 in the House—as well as six Republicans—two Senators and four House members.
The number of U.S. Representatives who have announced they are not running for re-election in 2024 is currently below the average at this point for the three most recent cycles. Eighteen House members had announced their retirements at this point in the 2022 cycle, 17 had announced their retirements at this point in the 2020 cycle, and 21 had announced at this point in the 2018 cycle.
From 2000 to 2022, an average of 36 members retired from the House of Representatives.
Ten of the 14 U.S. House members not running for re-election—eight Democrats and two Republicans—are running for the U.S. Senate. These members include seven running for the open seats in California, Delaware, Maryland, Michigan, and Indiana, specifically:
- Reps. Barbara Lee (D), Katie Porter (D), and Adam Schiff (D) are running to replace Feinstein;
- Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D) is running to replace Carper;
- Rep. David Trone (D) is running to replace Cardin;
- Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D) is running to replace Stabenow; and,
- Rep. Jim Banks (R) is running to replace Braun.
And three other House members are challenging incumbent senators:
- Rep. Alex Mooney (R) is running against Sen. Joe Manchin (D) in West Virginia;
- Rep. Rubén Gallego (D) is running against Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I) in Arizona; and,
- Rep. Colin Allred (D) is running against Sen. Ted Cruz (R) in Texas.
Additionally, Rep. Dan Bishop (R-N.C.) is running for state attorney general in North Carolina.
Besides Wexton, Reps. Victoria Spartz (R-Ind.) and Grace Napolitano (D-Calif.) are the only other House incumbents to have announced their retirement from public office.
