Nearly twice as many House Democrats than Republicans are retiring next year when the GOP will battle to hold and expand its slim majority.
Among the 36 lawmakers who opted not to seek reelection, 23 are Democrats and 13 are Republicans. And the retirements put key seats will be up for grabs in 2024.
House Republicans’ razor-thin majority makes every race crucial with any seats flipping to Democrats threatening the GOP’s grip on power.
But there are 10 relatively competitive districts held by Democrats who are retiring. Their districts range from likely Democratic to toss-up, giving Republicans chances to score majority-expanding wins. Five of these districts skew favorably toward the GOP in the recent redistricting.
Reps. Dan Kildee and Elissa Slotkin, both Michigan Democrats, are ditching their seats after redistricting in 2022 led to slim margins of victory for the lawmakers. Mr. Kildee is leaving after recovering from cancer earlier this year, while Ms. Slotkin is mounting a bid for the seat of outgoing Sen. Debbie Stabenow, Michigan Democrat.
Meanwhile, a trio of Democratic seats in North Caroli