Record 50th Member Will Leave House

The exodus from the House reached 50 on Tuesday, setting a postwar record for retirements.

The toll of members who have said they will not seek reelection this year has exceeded the traditional turnover associated with redistricting, in large part because of frustration with legislative gridlock and the political fallout from the House bank scandal.

Rep. William S. Broomfield (R-Mich.), 69, became No. 50. He is the ranking Republican on the Foreign Affairs Committee and was first elected in 1956. Broomfield said he was displeased with the bitter partisanship that has prevented Congress from dealing with inequities in the health system and with balancing the budget.

“The partisanship is so bitter that it’s very difficult to get anything through,” Broomfield said. “Everyone is trying to get the political advantage and everyone is suffering. . . . I just felt I didn’t want to continue in the minority, getting old and not being able to do any more.”

House officials and congressional observers expect total turnover, counting incumbents who are defeated, to approach 100 out of 435 members in the next Congress.

Thirteen members have abandoned their seats to seek higher office, and another 37 have retired for other reasons. Thirty-three of those departing are Democrats and 17 are Republicans.

Before Broomfield’s announcement, the previous postwar record of voluntary retirements was 49, set in 1978.