House Republicans Face Late Exodus
By Reid Wilson
A wave of late-breaking retirement announcements have left beleaguered House Republicans swamped in recent days as five members have told House leaders they will not seek re-election this Fall. The announcements bring to 27 the number of open seats Republicans will have to defend throughout the year, and some believe the end is not yet in sight.
In the past week alone, Reps. Jim Walsh, Ron Lewis, Dave Weldon and Tom Davis have all announced they will not seek another term next year. Missouri Republican Kenny Hulshof, who represents a district just north of St. Louis, said he will run for governor, a seat that came open when incumbent Republican Matt Blunt surprised political observers by withdrawing after just one term.
Some candidates dropped their re-election bids after surveying what is likely to be a difficult, if not uphill, battle for them next year. Walsh barely survived a challenge from a former congressional staffer, Democrat Dan Maffei, who is running again. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee will surely make certain he is better-funded this year than he was last year. Instead of lose, Walsh decided to give up his upstate New York seat, leaving Republicans scrambling to find a replacement.
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/pri...e_late_ex.html