Another House GOP Retirement - WSJ editorial
Trump delivers his State of the Union address Tuesday evening, and his number one priority should be the start of an effort to repair his approval ratings if he wants to save a Republican House majority in November. Saving that majority became harder on Monday when House Appropriations Chairman Rodney Frelinghuysen announced he won’t seek re-election this year.
Mr. Frelinghuysen hails from a famous New Jersey political family and is in his 12th term. He became Appropriations Chair last year, but he won re-election with only 58% of the vote in 2016 and Mr. Trump is unpopular in Jersey. The Republican voted against the December tax reform on grounds it would hurt his high-tax state—a signal that he wanted to separate himself from the Trump Administration.
The retirement follows that of Ed Royce, the Foreign Affairs Chairman, and Darrell Issa, who would have faced difficult races in California. Open seats are harder for an incumbent party to hold and they increase the odds that Democrats will pick up the 24 seats they need to run the House in 2019.
We trust someone is telling Mr. Trump about the impeachment danger he faces from a Democratic House. Presidential job approval is a leading indicator of midterm election results, and don’t believe those who tell you this time will be different. Republicans will find it easier to hold the House if Mr. Trump is less polarizing and drives fewer Democrats to the polls.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/another-house-gop-retirement-1517270997
