House Republican begins his last term by whining about life in the minority
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Election Day was scarcely a week ago, but we already have our first retirement of the next election cycle. In fairness, Republican Rep. Rob Bishop announced last year that this term would be his last—a term he easily and predictably secured in a rout, giveHouse Republican begins his last term by whining about life in the minority
Election Day was scarcely a week ago, but we already have our first retirement of the next election cycle. In fairness, Republican Rep. Rob Bishop announced last year that this term would be his last—a term he easily and predictably secured in a rout, given the deep red hue of Utah's 1st District. (It voted 50-22 for Donald Trump over Hillary Clinton, with conservative independent Evan McMullin just a hair behind and also at 22, and Mitt Romney won here 77-20 four years earlier.) While he’s sure to be replaced by a fellow Republican, progressives will be glad to see him go: For the last four years, he’s wielded the gavel on the Natural Resources Committee, despite a 2 percent lifetime score from the League of Conservation Voters. Of course, politicians who make promises like these often change their minds, but this isn't some long-ago term limits pledge that Bishop, who's 67 and first won office in 2002, is hoping voters will now forget. While he doesn't appear to have re-iterated his plans to step down since the election, Bishop did recently give an interview to the Salt Lake Tribune in which he complained how much it sucked to get cast into the minority after Democrats took the House in 2006. Now that the same thing has happened again, he says he's «not going in with a whole lot of anticipation of something being very positive,» so he definitely doesn't sound like someone who wants to stick around. Bishop could certainly still reverse course, but that would be news if he does. In the meantime, local Republicans politicians—of which there's no shortage—are undoubtedly plotting their moves to succeed the congressman, though our old friend the Great Mentioner has yet to make an appearance. In any event, Bishop wins the honor of being the first member of Congress to appear on our 2020 House open seat tracker, though since many of his colleagues will wind up sharing his feelings about life in the minority, he's certain not to be the last. Read more