As my colleague Ben Smith reported on Wednesday, Congress is a hot mess. Approval for Congress overall is at 10 percent. In terms of the party-line approvals, Republicans are barely holding on at 20 percent, and Democrats are scraping the bottom of the barrel at 3 percent.
Yikes.
Smith points out a number of reasons why this is the case, and you can read his excellent analysis here on RedState. What I will focus on are the seismic shifts occurring since Congress has fallen so far out of favor.
The obvious: the low-hanging fruit of perverted and corrupt members is being picked. Just in one month, three have been weighed in the balance and found wanting, with their own colleagues demanding their expulsion. Rather than face that, Democrat Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (FL-20), Democrat Rep. Eric Swalwell (CA-14), and Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales (TX-23) resigned, slinking away into that good night.
They will not be missed, and at least TX-23 portends a high-quality replacement in businessman and 2A advocate Brandon Herrera. His is a case where perseverance paid off. Despite what was known about Gonzales and his terrible proclivities, the Republican establishment still refused to endorse Herrera over the incumbent, until they had no choice.
As the joke goes about a thousand lawyers chained at the bottom of the ocean, this is a good start.
We also have a problem of dereliction of duty. Whether because of illness or being too busy running for another office, congressional members are shirking representation and missing critical votes. The shameful example of Republican Rep. Kay Granger (TX-12), who was in memory care for dementia when she was supposed to be in D.C. serving her constituents, may be rearing its head again. The chattering class in D.C. is asking, where is Republican Rep. Tom Kean Jr. (NJ-7)?
Republican New Jersey Rep. Tom Kean Jr., who represents a highly competitive district Democrats are targeting in the midterms, has reportedly not been seen by colleagues for over a month and has missed dozens of votes.
Kean, who has held New Jersey’s Seventh congressional district since 2023, has not cast a vote since March 5 and has missed nearly 50 roll calls, Politico reported late Wednesday. Kean missed over 20% of the votes between January and March 2026, according to GovTrack.
New Jersey’s other two Republican Reps. Chris Smith and Jeff Van Drew, told Politico they had been calling and texting Kean out of concern, only to be met with “radio silence.” Other members of his conference have yet to meet and address the issue.
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Kean is also not campaigning in a highly-contested district that the Democrats are thirsty to flip. So, the fact that Republican leadership: i.e., House Speaker Mike Johnson (LA-04), Majority Leader Steve Scalise (LA-01), and Conference Chair Lisa McClain (MI-10), have not bothered to speak to Kean's absence is also derelict.
Then, there are the deaths. In January, Republican Rep. Doug LaMalfa (CA-01) had an untimely death at 65 due to a heart issue. On Wednesday, Democrat Rep. David Scott (GA-13) passed away at 80.
All this is serving to help Americans who disapprove of the job Congress is doing. Many of these members need to go, and these resignations and deaths are effectively culling the herd. How the American voter can turn this for the good of the country is up to them, but more of this culling needs to occur. Before their primaries, let's hope Democrat Rep. Ilhan Omar (MN-05) and Republican Rep. Cory Mills (FL-07) will have their opportunity to fish or cut bait. Sadly, there are congressional leaders on both sides running interference against their removal.
My state of Alabama's primary is now less than a month away. Where it would normally would be business-as-usual in this red state which favors good-ole boys, lately, there has been an anti-incumbency fever afoot that could change the trajectory of key races, especially one for Republican Tommy Tuberville's Senate seat. Citizens are now scrutinizing the words and records of not just the incumbents running, but the contenders who wish to unseat them. This is what should be happening across the nation, and the earlier, the better.
In Utah, this microscopic scrutiny may have helped the constituents of the newly-drawn District 1, currently represented by Republican Burgess Owens, who is retiring. One Democrat female candidate is being accused of making unwanted sexual advances toward other women.
Four people from Utah political circles — three of them elected officials — accuse Eva Lopez Chavez, a Salt Lake City Council member and Democratic congressional candidate, of restraining them during what they considered unwanted sexual advances.
Lopez Chavez, through attorney Greg Skordas, said nothing “inappropriate” occurred during her interactions with three of the people and the fourth alleged contact “never occurred.” She is “shocked by the allegations,” a statement from Skordas said. “She is prepared to address them in any forum. She stands ready to submit to a polygraph test regarding these various allegations if requested.”
Whether it helps the three Republican candidates vying for the seat remains to be seen. The district is a Democrat stronghold, with eight candidates running under this banner. So, between the allegations and the disfavor Democrats are now experiencing, they may all cancel each other out.
That is also not a bad thing, as we see in California. But ultimately, sunlight is the best disinfectant, so more light, more winnowing, and less allowing things to slide because of name recognition or they're better than Party X or Y, is needed. Quality candidates who are fighters are also needed, and some are waiting in the wings. Like Herrera, they are being forged through perseverance, rather than poll-testing and the donor class.
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