Morning Digest: Republicans chase record-setting midterms with 20th House retirement of 2019
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The Daily Kos Elections Morning Digest is compiled by David Nir, Jeff Singer, Stephen Wolf, Carolyn Fiddler, and Matt Booker, with additional contributions from David Jarman, Steve Singiser, Daniel Donner, James Lambert, David Beard, and Arjun Jaikumar. LeadMorning Digest: Republicans chase record-setting midterms with 20th House retirement of 2019
The Daily Kos Elections Morning Digest is compiled by David Nir, Jeff Singer, Stephen Wolf, Carolyn Fiddler, and Matt Booker, with additional contributions from David Jarman, Steve Singiser, Daniel Donner, James Lambert, David Beard, and Arjun Jaikumar. Leading Off ● NY-02: On Monday morning, veteran Republican Rep. Peter King announced he would not seek a 15th term next year, opening up yet another vulnerable House seat the GOP will have to scramble to defend. Campaign Action King's career began in local politics over 40 years ago when he won a seat on the Hempstead Town Council—and the backing of what was then the indomitable Nassau County Republican Party machine, which would play a critical role throughout his tenure in public office. King went on to win a close election to the House in 1992, flipping a seat that Democratic Rep. Robert Mrazek had left open to pursue a bid against GOP Sen. Al D'Amato. (Mrazek's campaign ultimately collapsed as a result of the House banking scandal.) During his long tenure, King, 75, only occasionally faced competitive challengers, despite representing a suburban district that Democratic candidates for president usually carried. He accomplished this act of political levitation despite compiling a very conservative record by carving out a reputation as a security-obsessed loudmouth who knew when to vocally break with his party and emphasize his support for local interests. Only once did he win re-election by less than double digits: last year, when he held off activist Liuba Grechen Shirley by just a 53-47 spread, despite the fact that Shirley had attracted little outside support from Democrats. That tight result (and perhaps the demise of the Nassau machine) prompted speculation that King might retire, a possibility the congressman did not rule out two months ago, even though he said at the time, «Right now, I fully intend to run for re-election.» King's change of plans make him the 20th Republican overall to pass on re-election next year, with the pace of GOP retirements almost matching the record-setting 2018 cycle. And as they must in so many other corners of the country, Republicans will now have to find someone new to hold King's district, which represents fertile territory for Democrats. Read more