As Rep. Martha Roby (R-AL) announced Friday that she would not seek re-election to the U.S. House in 2020, it capped a three day stretch in which three GOP lawmakers in Congress announced they would retire instead of trying for another term in on Capitol Hill.
"Wow! That makes 3 in 3 days before the August break!" tweeted Rep. Billy Long (R-MO), who predicted that more announcements could be coming after Congress returns from a six week summer break.
Roby's decision also means that two of the 13 GOP women in the U.S. House are retiring - Susan Brooks (R-IN) is the other.
So far, eight House members have decided to retire instead of running for re-election, or seeking another office - six of those eight have been Republicans.
Two other House Republicans are running for another office, along with one Democrat.
Retirements skewed to one party are often an indicator of how that side feels about the next election.
Roby's seat in the southeast part of Alabama should remain in Republican hands, along with that of Rep. Paul Mitchell (R-MI).
But the district held now by Rep. Pete Olson (R-TX) outside of Houston, could be one which Democrats have a good chance to win, as the once-reliable Republican suburbs have trended more towards Democrats since the election of President Donald Trump.
"This is one of the fastest-diversifying districts in the country," tweeted Dave Wasserman, a political analyst with the Cook Political report, as he said it's a toss-up with Olson retiring.
Overall fundraising numbers have been favoring Democrats in the 2020 elections for the U.S. House as well, giving them millions of dollars more in resources than national Republicans.
The House is currently at 235 Democrats, 197 Republicans, one Independent, and two open seats, which were originally held by the GOP.
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