The surprise announcements of Republican retirements continues this week as Representative Trey Gowdy (R-South Carolina), Chair of the House Committee on Oversight, and Representative Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-New Jersey), Chair of the House Appropriations Committee added their names to the list of prominent Republicans who will not seek re-election in 2018.
Representative Gowdy’s district in South Carolina is considered a solid Republican seat, but Representative Frelinghuysen’s district, New Jersey’s 11th, is comprised of wealthy, educated Republicans who are upset with the GOP’s cuts to SALT exemptions in the Federal Tax Reform bill. New Jersey’s 11th district will be added to the long list of Republican districts that are considered a toss-up in 2018, and Republican’s chances of maintaining their majority in the House are dwindling. In the Senate, a Republican-friendly election cycle is expected to stem the tide of Democratic popularity, but the GOP’s 51-49 majority allows for only the thinnest margins of error. Losing the House alone would completely up-end President Trump’s agenda through the rest of his term. Even items with bipartisan support, namely infrastructure, will be difficult to accomplish, if not completely impossible.