House Retirements Surge as 53 Lawmakers Opt Not to Seek Re-Election in 2026

By Blessing Nweke

A wave of retirements in the U.S. House of Representatives is reshaping the political landscape ahead of the 2026 elections, with 53 lawmakers announcing they will not seek re-election — the second-highest number recorded in nearly a century.

The latest to join the list is Burgess Owens, a Republican from Utah, who confirmed he would step down at the end of his current term. His decision adds to a growing trend of departures that could significantly influence the balance of power in Congress.

Of the 53 House members leaving office, 32 are Republicans while 21 are Democrats. The distribution mirrors the pattern seen during the 2018 election cycle, when Republicans also accounted for a larger share of retirements.

Although the current number is historically high, it still falls short of the record set in 1992, when 65 members of the House chose not to run again, according to historical data from the Brookings Institution’s Vital Statistics on Congress.

The trend is not limited to the House. In the Senate, 10 lawmakers have already announced plans to retire rather than seek another term, marking the largest number of Senate retirements in a single cycle this century. Among them is Steve Daines, a Republican who revealed Wednesday that he will not pursue a third term.

The unusually high number of departures could create a competitive election environment, as open seats often lead to closely contested races and fresh candidates entering the political arena.

Currently, Republicans maintain a narrow 218–214 majority in the House of Representatives, while they hold a 53–47 advantage in the Senate. With dozens of seats set to open, both parties are expected to aggressively compete for control of Congress in the upcoming 2026 midterm elections.