Calling it quits: Two more House members head for the exits in latest departure wave

Two more House lawmakers announced they would not seek reelection to the lower chamber next year, adding to the growing list of members who say they will retire in 2024.

Reps. Wiley Nickel (D-NC) and Drew Ferguson (R-GA) both announced on Thursday they would not run for another term in the House, opening up two more seats in the lower chamber that could contribute to a more unpredictable election cycle next year. Ferguson’s district is not expected to be competitive, but Nickel’s retirement offers a prime pickup opportunity for Republicans to flip a seat and grow their slim majority.

BIDEN OFFICIALLY A TARGET OF HOUSE IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY AFTER VOTE

Nickel opted not to run for a second term, citing the state’s approval of new congressional maps that will likely hand his district over to Republicans next year. Nickel is the third Democrat from North Carolina to forgo reelection due to the newly redrawn boundaries, giving Republicans a handful of opportunities to bolster their majority in the House.

“Republicans have rigged the system to favor themselves and I don’t have a path to run for re-election in the 13th district,” Nickel said in a statement. “But I’m not giving up and neither should you.”

Ferguson cited personal reasons for his departure, simply stating that “Georgia is calling [him] home.”

“Julie and I look forward to spending more time with our children and grandchildren while continuing to work to keep Georgia the best state in America to live and do business,” Ferguson said in a statement.

More than 30 House incumbents have already announced they won’t seek reelection next year, marking one of the highest rates of retirement this early into an election cycle over the last six years. That includes 12 Republicans who have announced they won’t run for reelection in 2024 as well as 23 Democrats, leaving open a total of 35 seats that are up for grabs.

Of those, only seven are considered to be competitive seats, all of which are held by Democrats. Those include the seats held by Reps. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) and Dan Kildee (D-MI), both rated as toss-ups by the nonpartisan Cook Political Report. Another two seats are considered to be highly competitive as well, including the ones held by Reps. Abigail Spanberger (D-VA) and Katie Porter (D-CA).

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

Meanwhile, nearly all the Republican districts, with the exception being the seat that was held by former Rep. George Santos, are considered reliably red.

The two new retirement announcements put the 2024 cycle on track to be one of the highest retirement years in recent memory if it can keep pace with 2018, which saw 52 House retirements. That’s the most incumbent retirements recorded in a single cycle since the 1992 cycle, when 65 members opted not to run for reelection.