CNN’s chief data analyst Harry Enten highlighted how more House Republicans are retiring from the chamber than Democrats, calling it a “pretty good” sign for the latter party ahead of the 2026 midterms. (Watch his analysis below.)
“We’ll have to wait and see if history holds, but if it does, two thumbs up for the Democrats,” said Enten in a segment with CNN’s John Berman.
Enten noted that there’s been a “record” amount of House retirements — a figure that includes those running for a higher office — in the 2025-26 cycle.
There have been 27 retirements in the House thus far this cycle — the highest such figure this century and notably more than the average number of retirements at this point in a cycle from 2005 to 2024, which is 16, Enten said.
The record numbers arrive as the GOP holds the smallest majority in the House in over 90 years.
