Senior Republican House Member Announces Retirement

The Republican Party has been dealt yet another blow from a senior member of the party.

Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer (R-MO) has announced that he will not be running for re-election.

This means Republicans will have to defend another key seat without an incumbent on the ballot.

Getting Stretched Thin

Am I going to shed a tear over a 71-year-old Republican leaving Congress? Absolutely not.

Anyone who reads my reports regularly knows that I think we need some serious turnover in D.C.

Having said that, Luetkemeyer’s retirement means we have yet another leadership position to fill as well as more money being spent to defend a seat that would have otherwise been considered a lock to win in the upcoming cycle.

In announcing his retirement, Luetkemeyer stated, "As we tackle the many challenges we face, I hope we remember what someone once said, that 'the greatness of our country is not found in the halls of Congress but in the hearts and homes of our people.’”

Now, I don’t want to give the impression that his seat is at risk for a Democrat takeover because that is not the case at all.

However, that does not mean that the Democrat Party will not force the GOP to spend a little extra to lock it down.

The problem when you have an incumbent like this retiring is that their fundraising base is already in place. With a new candidate, the RNC is going to have to step in to help, spending money that could be utilized in more competitive races.

So far, more than a dozen Republicans have decided to step down or are seeking higher office.

To that point, Democrats are actually in a worse situation, with nearly two dozen Dems leaving their House posts in the upcoming cycle.

As of today, the GOP margin is seven seats, which equates to three votes, and they need to hold that majority and retake the Senate if a Republican president is going to have any impact on the mess that Joe Biden created.

And if Biden somehow wins this election, Republicans need to make sure they have control of at least one chamber to block Biden from carrying out his far-left agenda.