Democratic Speaker Nancy Pelosi has suffered another major loss after two more House Democrats announced they are jumping ship and will not run for reelection.
Pelosi is now left scrambling for power as her hold over Congress is slipping away.
The two Democrats, one a chair of a subcommittee, are just the latest in a long line of Dems to announce they are fleeing the sinking ship ahead of the 2022 midterms.
There are now 28 House Democrats retiring ahead of the looming elections.
Reps. Jim Langevin of Rhode Island and Jerry McNerney of California both said in separate announcements that they will not run again.
Neither gave a specific reason for not running to the slaughter but the work required to raise money against well-funded challengers, with the prize of serving in a powerless minority, it is not hard to understand their decisions.
57-year-old Langevin is chair of the House Armed Services subcommittee handling cyber issues.
He has represented western Rhode Island since 2001.
In a statement, Langevin said:
“Today I am announcing that I will not seek reelection in California’s newly created 9th Congressional District.
“I am honored that the citizens of California’s 9th Congressional District chose me as their representative in the past five elections, and that those in California’s previous 11th Congressional District gave me the privilege of representing them for three terms.
“I have not come to this decision lightly, but it’s time — time for me to chart a new course which I hope will keep me closer to home and allow me to spend more time with family and friends.
Two more House Democrats announce they won’t seek reelection in November, bringing the party’s total retirements to 28 ahead of what is expected to be a difficult midterm election year. https://t.co/KKQnoucxGS
— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) January 21, 2022
70-year-old McNerney represents a district in California’s Central Valley that includes Stockton.
He has been in Congress since 2007.
“I will keep working for the people of my district throughout the remainder of my term and look forward to new opportunities to continue to serve,” McNerney said.
“It was a moment of great pride and progress for our nation when he became the first wheelchair user to serve as Speaker Pro Tempore, presiding over the House as we celebrated twenty years of the ADA,” Pelosi wrote in a statement about Langevin, the first paraplegic to serve in Congress.
“This was only possible because of his inspiration and determination.”
From CNN:
Langevin, first elected to Congress in 2000, became the first quadriplegic to serve in the US House.
In 2010, he became the first person in a wheelchair to preside over the House of Representatives on the 20th anniversary of the Americans with Disability Act.
As a 16-year-old, Langevin was left paralyzed after a gun accidentally discharged and a bullet struck him, while he was working with the Warwick Police Department as part of the Boy Scout Explorer program, according to his congressional biography.
…McNerney is a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee and the Science, Space, and Technology Committee.
He was the main sponsor of the Consumer Safety Technology Act, which would require agencies explore the use of AI to help with consumer safety and study the potential use of blockchain technology.
