Around two dozen Republican lawmakers are planning to retire, and rumors are swirling around Capitol Hill that others are planning to join the mass exodus.
A survey of GOP representatives found some members were unwilling to commit to running for re-election next year, and "CNN This Morning" host Audie Cornish wondered what that meant for the 2026 midterms.
"Is that good going intomidterms?" Cornish said. "I don't know if people don't want tocarry, if you're saying you werevictorious and no one wants tocarry your your message ofvictory into 2026, is that a redflag?"
Mike Dubke, a former communications director during President Donald Trump's first term, took up the challenge.
"I have been making this jokewhen I talk to to senators thatyou've had to work this year,and it's been hard," Dubke said. "No, they have, and I think the thing, I think that,well, the Democrats shut down, but we'll come back to that.I do think that, you know,at the pace that this White House goes, it is you feel itthroughout Washington. It's notjust in Congress, but it's witheverybody else that'stangential to Washington, D.C.,this has been a blistering pacein 2025, and I think that doestake a take a toll on people. SoI'm not surprised that thosenumbers, it's not a fun placeto work right now – in Congress. I'mhaving a ball."
Meghan Hays, a communications aide for former President Joe Biden, argued the retirements signaled the strength of Democrats' position heading into next year.
"Democrats are going in strong," she said. "They have a message of affordability, they're united on talking about health care and talking about lowering costs ... I don't think the Democrats need a leader. I don't think that they need a national leader like they have Trump. We've always had grassroots leaders in our own communities, and those are the people who who are leading their communities. We had two big governor's races that won."
"Democrats have a lot of wind at their back here going into the midterms, because Republicans can't get it together," Hays added, "because you have someone like Donald Trump screaming at the television about all these wins that are just lies, and then the Republicans in Congress don't want to have to defend it. Then they don't want to have to be primaried when they speak up to Donald Trump, so it's easier for them just to retire, which is not saying a lot about the president's policy."