Two More House Dems Make Mad Dash for the Exits as Joe Biden's BBB Agenda Implodes (Update: Add Another to the List)

We’ve extensively documented how the writing has been on the wall for D.C. Democrats for quite some time as Joe Biden’s poll numbers continue to tank, Kamala Harris’s woes worsen, and the Democrat infighting on Capitol Hill gets louder with no end in sight.

It’s gotten so bad that threats of retaliation by Democrat members of Congress against their colleagues in the House and Senate who opposed Biden’s Build Back Better agenda, effectively nuking it, are already becoming a thing.

With voter concerns sitting squarely on uncertainties about the U.S. economy on issues like worsening inflation, the ongoing supply chain crisis, and the gloomy jobs outlook, a number of House Democrats have apparently concluded it’s best to get out while they can.

As of last week, the number was at 20 with the announcement that five-term Rep. Alan Lowenthal (D-Calif.) would be retiring at the end of his term. But today, barely 24 hours after Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) dashed Joe Biden’s hopes and dreams on the BBB bill, two more House Dems said in so many words that they’re headed for the exits, too:

In 24 hours, two more @HouseDemocrats called it quits

– #NJ08’s @AlbioSiresNJ
– #FL07’s @SMurphyCongress

22 House Dems already out the doors

Murphy was going to run against @marcorubio for #FLSEN but DC Democrats cleared the field for @valdemings

— Matthew Foldi (@MatthewFoldi) December 20, 2021

Murphy, who was first elected in 2016 and who represents a swing district, posted a video to her Twitter account explaining her decision:

I’ve decided not to seek another term in Congress. Serving Central Florida has been the honor of my life, but it’s also been incredibly challenging for my family and me.

This was not an easy decision, but it is the right decision. Thank you for everything. pic.twitter.com/UaOufbPOSo

— Stephanie Murphy (@SMurphyCongress) December 20, 2021

Sires, who has been in Congress since 2006, has not yet made a formal announcement but according to the New Jersey Globe, he will be making it official before the end of the year:

The 70-year-old Sires has served in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2006, when he won a special election after Bob Menendez left to serve in the Senate. Sires and Menendez are the only Hispanics to represent New Jersey in Congress.

Sires represents New Jersey’s 8th district, an overwhelmingly-Democratic district that includes parts of Hudson, Essex and Union counties. Sires won 74% on the vote in 2020 in a district that went from Joe Biden by a 73%-36% margin.

Though his district is solidly blue, recent events in New Jersey politics show quite anything is possible when frustrated voters get fed up enough to go against the grain.

A wave of retirements in the House prior to midterm elections is not uncommon for either party, primarily because historically speaking, the midterms are usually not good for the president’s party as those elections are viewed as referendums on that president’s first two years in office.

But for Joe Biden, the news has to be particularly stinging considering what happened over the weekend and especially considering that so far the White House’s coordination with the media on “better messaging strategies” about the economy hasn’t gotten them anywhere.

You love to see it – not the situation with the economy, but the fact that the left’s/media’s attempts at hoodwinking people aren’t working. Because any day where a majority of people see right through what the Usual Suspects on the left and their cohorts in the press are trying to pull is a good day for America. That goes double for any House Democrat who decides they’re not interested in sticking around to find out what happens anymore, either.

Update – 4:30 PM: The Hill is reporting another House Democrat will be retiring in 2022:

Longtime Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-Calif.), the powerful chair of an Appropriations subcommittee overseeing immigration issues, will not seek reelection in 2022, two sources familiar with her decision told The Hill on Monday.

Roybal-Allard, 80, has begun calling Democratic allies and friends about her retirement, the sources said.

That makes 23 House Dems who have said they aren’t running for re-election next year. Expect more to come.