Florida Congressman Becomes 23rd House Republican to Retire This Year
December 11th 2019
Official portrait of Congressman Ted Yoho (United States Congress)
By Emily Singer
Rep. Ted Yoho (R-FL) announced on Tuesday that he will retire rather than seek reelection, becoming the 23rd House Republican to call it quits in 2020.
Yoho made the announcement on a local radio station, saying that he is honoring his pledge to only serve four terms in Congress.
He is now the third House Republican to retire in the last two weeks.
Rep. Tom Graves (R-GA), a top ally to House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, announced last week that he is not seeking reelection. His announcement was followed by Rep. George Holding (R-NC), who announced he is not seeking reelection after his heavily Republican gerrymandered district was redrawn to be more fair.
The spate of GOP retirements is a strong signal that Republicans do not believe they will win back control of the House in 2020 and do not want to stick around in order to be in the minority.
In fact, a number of the retirements present opportunities for Democrats to pick up more seats in 2020.
Still, Yoho’s north Florida House seat would be a challenge for Democrats to pick up.
Donald Trump carried it by 16 points in 2016, while Sen. Mitt Romney won it by 15 points in his failed 2012 presidential bid.
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