Rep. Martha Roby (R-AL) revealed on Friday that she will not be seeking reelection when her term expires, making her the third House Republican this week to announce they would be leaving Congress by 2020.
“Riley and I, and our children, Margaret and George, will be forever grateful to the people of Alabama’s Second District for giving us the tremendous privilege and honor serving our state and country,” Roby wrote in a statement. “Throughout my five terms in Congress, I have cast every vote with the guiding principle that Alabama always comes first.”
“Together, we have been able to deliver some incredible results for our military, veterans, agriculture community, and the unborn. We are not finished yet,” the statement continued. “While my name will not be on the ballot in 2020, I remain committed to continuing the fight for Alabama and the people I represent until I cast my last vote on the floor of the United States House of Representatives.”
Roby was first elected to serve as the representative to Alabama’s 2nd Congressional District in 2010, narrowly edging out incumbent Bobby Bright and flipping the district red. She went on to win reelection for a fifth term in 2018, receiving more than 60% of the vote.
The announcement of Roby’s departure comes on the heels of two other Republican members of Congress who each announced they will be stepping down at the end of their term.
Rep. Paul Mitchell (R-MI) confirmed on Tuesday that he would be retiring, in part, due to his frustration with the caustic political culture that rewards extremes.
“You look at the rhetoric and vitriol, it overwhelms policy, politics becomes the norm,” Mitchell told Politico. “Everything’s about politics. Everything’s about an election. And at some point of time, that’s not why I came here.”
Mitchell won his district by roughly 30 points when he first ran in his 2016 congressional election, as well as during his subsequent reelection in 2018. Accordingly, President Donald Trump received 64% of the district’s vote during the presidential election and the seat is not considered to be at risk of flipping Democrat after Mitchell steps down.
However, only two days after Mitchell’s announcement, Rep. Pete Olson (R-TX) also revealed that he would be retiring from his congressional seat.
“Protecting our future and preserving our exceptional nation are the reasons I first ran for Congress,” Olson wrote in a press release, obtained by the Texas Tribune. “Now, it’s time for another citizen-legislator to take up this mission, not to make a career out of politics, but to help lead the cause of empowering our people, defending our liberties, and making sure America remains the greatest nation in history.”
Unlike Roby and Mitchell’s districts, Texas’ 22nd Congressional Districted is expected to be a top-tier battleground going into 2020. Olson easily won his last four reelections, but the race began heating up in 2018 despite Republicans previously viewing the seat as reliably red. Olson’s Democratic challenger took advantage of the district’s changing demographics, which has a greater population of Asians than any other congressional district in Texas.
The Democratic establishment has already begun to seize upon the opportunity to flip the seat as they seek to retain a majority in the House.
“Republicans across Texas are terrified of losing their seats in 2020,” said Avery Jaffe, a Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) spokesperson. “We can’t blame Pete Olson for choosing to retire instead of being thrown out of office next year.”