Free Republic

The recent announcement by James Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.) that he would not seek re-election in 2020 sparked new worries among the GOP that retaking the House in 2020 might be nearly impossible. Although Sensenbrenner's district should be "safe" (as should about half of the more than a dozen seats in districts where Republicans are retiring), it never helps to lose an incumbent. That said, in 2020, the control of the House may be well near irrelevant. Over time, the House has had one major constitutional duty: the budget. All spending and taxation bills must originate in the House. But in all...

Rep. Bill Flores (R-Texas) on Wednesday announced he will not seek reelection to a sixth term in Congress, adding to the rush of Texas Republican lawmakers heading for the exit. Flores, the first Republican to represent the Waco area since Reconstruction, won his seat in the Tea Party wave of 2010. He beat then-Rep. Chet Edwards (D) by a wider margin than any other challenger who ousted a sitting Democrat that year. He said in a statement he intended to honor a term-limit pledge he made when he first ran for office. “After much prayer over the past few days...

After 40 House seats swung to Democrats in the 2018 midterms, the Republican Party is targeting dozens of them ahead of 2020 in a bid to win back control of the chamber. The House GOP’s campaign wing has released a list of 55 seats it will target next year, mostly by portraying Democrats as the party of socialism, CNBC reported. The targeted seats include 41 of the 43 the GOP lost to Democrats — many weeks after polls closed in November.