That’s the whole problem. They are coming to the point where the requirements for that support are becoming an anchor.
There’s a good chance they’ll lose their majority in the House. It won’t make a difference in solidly, overwhelmingly red district’s like Greene, but for the GOP to remain in power it matters.
The first rat off a sinking ship isn’t a leader, it’s just the first one. Its lack of leadership doesn’t preclude other rats following it off the ship.
The cite in the OP (claiming that more Repub resignations are coming) is from the Huffington Post, so I take it with a huge grain of salt.
But even if the anonymous souce in the cite is honest, I have to wonder why any congressmen will resign , instead of just sitting quietly on the bench for 8 months, and then announcing that they won’t run for re-election.
For MTG it makes sense. She gains something for herself by resigning-she feeds her batshit-crszy ego. And, by being the first to resign, she wins a lot of publicity, which leads to money, and a job as Foxnews panel expert.
But for other Repub congressmen, they dont gain anything. They just lose their job and disappear.
That’s a very good question, and if it’s true that this will indeed happen, then the reason why will be pretty significant, I think.
So far the suggestion is that it has become so awful for these people that they are fed up and this is all they have left that they can do. That’s the presumption anyway. Is it true? If we see people resigning as suggested, then maybe so. Otherwise, I guess not.
Probably won’t be as long as 8 months in a lot of cases; many states have their primary elections next year in March through June. If a current GOP congressperson decides to not run for re-election, they’ll likely announce that at least somewhat before the primary.
This one just makes me shake my head:
President Trump’s heated rhetorical attacks on Democratic lawmakers, whom he called out as “traitors” who deserve to be jailed, have left his Republican allies in Washington dumbfounded and skeptical about any bipartisan dealmaking at the end of 2025.
I guess none of those Republicans were in politics when Trump began calling “Lock her up!” at his campaign rallies. He’s run his entire political career on trying to put his enemies in jail.
Now he’s taken the logical next step for a tyrant who always needs to up the ante to keep media attention : “Off with their heads!”
And Republicans are surprised?!?
Clearly they thought that it was BS, like a lot of things Trump claims he will do and never does. And given the history of “TACO”, it isn’t absolutely absurd to think it wouldn’t actually get this far.
Whether they do or don’t depends on how many resign and the timing. There are several seats currently open and one that is certain to be open fairly soon. If just a few resign, exactly when may make a big difference.
The first seat to be filled is TN-07, which election is 2 Dec 2025. That one is most likely to be filled by an R, since it’s a fairly red district. The Democrats are trying to flip it, though.
The runoff election to fill TX-18 will be 31 Jan 2026. Two Democrats are in that election.
Mikie Sherrill resigned her seat, NJ-11, on 20 Nov 2025, since she’s now the governor-elect of NJ. That seat will not be filled until 16 April 2026.
Some time before 17 Jan 2026, Abigail Spanberger will have to resign her seat, VA-07, to become governor of Virginia. Since she hasn’t resigned yet, we don’t know when that election will be.
Running from what? And why not just decide not to run for reelection? I don’t buy it.
Yes, i see no hope in MTG’s resignation. (I see hope in other places, on a good day. But not in this.)
Anyway, i remain mystified why she’s resigning. What does she get out of stepping down before the end of her term?
I also don’t understand why she does not simply not run for re-election. Someone asked me that the other day and I had a hard time making an argument.
I don’t perceive that. I’ve long been mystified as to why ostensibly non-insane Repubs have kowtowed to Trump’s every whim so far. Other than what one might hope, what is the evidence that rank and file Repubs - or leaders - perceive Trump as an anchor that can be jettisoned? What are the signs that Trump voters want some form of Republicanism other than whatever they perceive themselves as receiving under Trump?
Sure, polls can show support for Trump decreasing, and support for his policies/proclamations declining. But he flip flops day-to-day, so it is nigh impossible to express what his policies are - other than a hatred for immigrants and a desire to appear tough. And no matter what a voter may say about their support for Trump, how many of them are going to vote against his wishes?
Sometimes people quit their jobs because they’re frustrated or they see greener pastures elsewhere.
Greene wasn’t liked by the Democrats and now she isn’t liked by the Republicans. She was facing a barrage of insults from Donald Trump and he was going to throw his support against her at the next primary. What does she get out of stepping down? Not having to deal with all that and exiting on her own terms.
Yeah - but she never really impressed me as someone who cared about criticism aimed her way. She is giving up several months of a big megaphone through which she can scream “F U!” to any and all.
ISTM that she’s gaining that megaphone, not losing it. That’s why she’s resigning. If she stays, she’ll continue to be merely one more cog in the Republican machine, barring her switching parties, which obviously won’t happen. If she stays, the MAGA loyalists can point at her and say “she talked a lot of shit, but at the of the day she still voted with us”.
That criticism would be worse for her than any petty insults Trump lobs at her about her physical appearance or the way she talks or whatever else he dreams up, because it would have the virtue of being true, while also highlighting her ineptitude at being able to change anything from the inside. If she resigns she doesn’t have to deal with that, and will have more freedom to criticize as an outsider.
Spanberger isn’t a sitting member of congress any more; she didn’t run for reelection, presumably because she knew she was going to run for governor. Eugene Vindman is the current representative for VA-07.
I guess I was misinformed then. Well, that takes one vacancy off the board (or off my board, anyway).
Well, if TN-07 flips and MTG goes through with her resignation, there would have to be two more Rs quitting to get a D majority after 16 April. Another one quitting would move that up to February. And that majority would likely only last until one of those seats is filled.
Personally, I don’t see that many resignations. In fact, I don’t think we’ll see any.
I assume MTG will be replaced by another Republican. I don’t think “who quits” is going to predict any changes in the balance.
I do too, but these things don’t happen overnight. Representatives have to be replaced via an election. Consider that Sherrill resigned this month and the election to replace her won’t be until April.
Because running for re-election is hard work. I mean, sure, it was easy enough when she had no serious challengers and could coast to victory by doing little more than kissing Trump’s ass and hurling invective at the libs. But, if she’s fallen out of favor with the Orange Emperor and facing a primary challenge from someone backed by him, she’s going to have to put in some real effort.
MTG is, or was, a cheerleader/attack dog for MAGA. She wasn’t a leader, she didn’t create bills, nor did she bring anything of value to committees. Greene was simply a useful tool for Trump and he made it quite clear to her she wasn’t going anywhere else in MAGA.