Sen. John Ensign’s (R-Nev.) announcement Monday that he will not seek reelection continues a string of retirements that sets a new standard.
The number of retirements in the first two months of the 112th Congress is now more than we’ve seen in any Congress in the past century.
Eight of the 33 senators up for reelection — nearly one-fourth of the entire class — have already said they will not seek another term. And even if no other senator opts to retire, that will be one of the biggest classes of retirees in history.
The only times over the course of the past 100 years that we’ve seen more retirements were 2010 (10 retirements), 1996 (13) and 1978 (9). And we’ve still got a few potential retirees left.
Full Story: The Fix – A new record for Senate retirements