Which gop members of congress are retiring before the 2026 midterms

1. The scale: a record wave with GOP disproportionately affected

Multiple trackers and outlet tallies show an unusually large number of members not seeking re-election for 2026 — roughly 43 House members and 10 senators by several counts, with other outlets reporting 55 total congressional lawmakers not running and listing 35 Republicans among them — a figure that reflects an uncommon churn and that, by most accounts, skews toward the GOP ^{[8] [2] [1] [3]}.

2. High-profile GOP names publicly departing before 2026

Reporting has singled out several prominent Republican departures: Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene publicly announced she would resign her House seat early in January after signaling she would leave Congress, Rep. Troy Nehls announced he will not seek reelection, and Rep. Jodey Arrington is also stepping away from the House; on the Senate side, long-serving GOP senators including Mitch McConnell, Thom Tillis and Joni Ernst have announced they will not run for their seats in 2026 ^{[4] [5] [6] [2] [7]}.

3. Where the retirements matter: battlegrounds and redistricting hotspots

Observers emphasize that many GOP retirements are concentrated in states undergoing redistricting or in narrowly held districts, which could amplify the electoral consequences for a party that currently holds a slim House majority; Texas, for example, has seen multiple Republicans move on amid a mid-decade map change that reshaped several districts ^{[4] [9] [6]}. Newsweek and AP note that some departures come from districts Democrats see as pickup opportunities, naming figures such as Don Bacon and David Schweikert among retirements or vulnerable incumbents in other reporting ^{[5] [10]}.

4. Motives offered — and how reporting reads them

Public explanations for leaving span true retirements, bids for higher office, frustration with gridlock, and electoral calculations tied to redistricting or perceived national headwinds for the president’s party; analysts cited in The Fulcrum, The Conversation and other outlets argue these departures reflect both personal calculations and broader GOP unease about 2026 prospects under a sitting Republican president ^{[9] [4] [8]}. Several outlets also emphasize that a meaningful share of the departures are members running for governor or Senate rather than leaving politics entirely ^{[2] [3]}.

5. Political consequence and alternative readings

Most outlets treating the retirements as an early warning for GOP vulnerability note the historical tendency for the president’s party to lose midterm seats and stress that open seats are easier to flip; meanwhile Republicans counter that many vacating seats are in safely red districts or that retirements create opportunity for new GOP candidates — a competing interpretation cited in coverage ^{[9] [1]}. Analysts and party officials thus offer divergent takes on whether the departures represent crisis or renewal ^{[10] [5]}.

6. Limits of available reporting and what’s not yet settled

Available sources provide tallies, named examples and analysis but do not present a single, definitive roster in one place within these excerpts; Ballotpedia, AP, NPR, Newsweek and other trackers together list dozens of GOP lawmakers not seeking re-election and name specific senators and House members, but compiling a fully exhaustive and current list would require cross-checking the latest trackers because announcements continue to arrive ^{[3] [10] [2] [1]}. Where the coverage diverges, readers should treat the numbers as a moving snapshot rather than a settled final count.