It’s an election season unlike any other in recent memory, with the halls of Congress bracing for one of the largest waves of departures in modern U.S. history. As of September 15, 2025, a record number of congressional lawmakers—10 senators and 27 House members—have announced that they will not seek reelection to their current seats in 2026. The exodus, tracked by both Beritaja and NPR, is sending shockwaves through Washington and raising urgent questions about the future direction of both major parties as the nation heads toward another pivotal election year.
What’s behind this unprecedented turnover? The reasons are as varied as the lawmakers themselves, but the numbers tell a compelling story. Of the 37 departing members, 15 are retiring from public office altogether, stepping away from the political fray after years—sometimes decades—of service. The remainder are not leaving politics behind, but are instead seeking new roles: 11 are aiming to become governors of their states, 10 are attempting to jump from the House to the Senate, and one, Texas Republican Rep. Chip Roy, is making a bid to become his state's attorney general.
The breakdown by party is especially striking. According to NPR, more Republicans (27) than Democrats (10) have signaled their intention to leave Washington. This imbalance is raising eyebrows among political analysts, especially given the GOP’s slim majorities in both the House and Senate. For Republicans, the departures include some of the party’s most prominent figures: Sens. Mitch McConnell, Thom Tillis, and Joni Ernst, as well as Rep. Don Bacon. Notably, all four have, at times, found themselves at odds with former President Donald Trump’s vision of expanded executive power. Their exits, as reported by Beritaja, could signal a deeper rift within the party or simply the exhaustion that comes with navigating the turbulence of recent years.
On the Democratic side, the narrative is somewhat different. Several of the party’s older lawmakers are choosing to pass the torch to a new generation. Sens. Dick Durbin and Jeanne Shaheen, along with Reps. Jan Schakowsky, Dwight Evans, and Danny Davis, are among those stepping down. Their decisions, according to both Beritaja and NPR, reflect a broader trend of generational change within the Democratic Party—a deliberate effort to bring in fresh perspectives and new energy ahead of what is expected to be a fiercely contested 2026 election cycle.
But the story doesn’t end with individual retirements. Structural changes to the electoral map are also playing a significant role in this year’s wave of departures. The GOP, holding onto slim majorities, has taken aggressive steps in several Republican-led states to enact mid-decade gerrymandering, aiming to shore up their position by creating more favorable districts. As NPR notes, these efforts are designed to give the party an edge in what is historically a challenging election cycle for the party in power. The stakes are high, and the maneuvering is intense.
Democrats, for their part, are not sitting idly by. In California, the state’s Democratic government is asking voters to approve a retaliatory redistricting measure in the upcoming November 2025 off-year election. The goal is to counteract what they see as partisan gerrymandering in other states and to protect Democratic representation as the national political landscape shifts. It’s a high-stakes gambit that could reshape the balance of power in the nation’s largest state—and potentially set a precedent for others to follow.
Texas provides a vivid example of how redistricting battles are influencing individual decisions. The state’s newly redrawn map aims to reduce the number of Democratic representatives by five, a move that has already had concrete political consequences. Seventy-eight-year-old Texas Democratic Rep. Lloyd Doggett, facing the prospect of a bruising primary fight against progressive Rep. Greg Casar, decided to announce his retirement instead. As Beritaja reports, Doggett’s decision underscores the personal and political toll that redistricting can exact, especially on long-serving lawmakers caught in the crosshairs of shifting party dynamics.
The broader context for this record-setting wave of departures is a deeply polarized and rapidly changing political environment. The 2026 election is shaping up to be one of the most consequential in recent memory, with control of both chambers of Congress up for grabs and the future direction of the country hanging in the balance. The slim majorities held by Republicans in the House and Senate mean that even small shifts in the electoral map—or in the composition of the candidate pool—could have outsized effects on the outcome.
For many lawmakers, the decision to step aside is as much about personal calculation as it is about political strategy. Some are seeking higher office, hoping to leverage their experience and name recognition in gubernatorial or Senate races. Others, weary from years of partisan gridlock and public scrutiny, are opting for retirement and a return to private life. Still others, like Rep. Chip Roy of Texas, are pursuing new roles within their home states, aiming to continue their public service in a different capacity.
In conversations with colleagues and constituents, departing lawmakers have cited a range of motivations. Some, like Sens. Dick Durbin and Jeanne Shaheen, have expressed a desire to make room for new voices and ideas. Others, particularly among Republicans, have pointed to the challenges of governing in an era of heightened polarization and internal party divisions. The recurring theme, however, is a recognition that the political landscape is shifting—and that new leadership will be required to navigate the uncharted waters ahead.
As the nation looks toward 2026, the implications of this mass turnover are still coming into focus. Will the influx of new faces bring fresh energy and ideas to Congress, or will it deepen existing divides? Can the parties adapt to the changing electoral map, or will gerrymandering and redistricting battles further entrench partisan gridlock? And, perhaps most importantly, how will voters respond to the changing cast of characters who seek to represent them in Washington?
One thing is certain: the 2026 election will be a test not just of party strength, but of the resilience and adaptability of American democracy itself. With so many seats in flux and so much at stake, the coming months promise to be anything but dull.