The “moderate” D’s are retiring because they know they’re going to lose.
The “liberals” in safe seats with years of seniority retiring is a bigger story. Their retirement signals their belief that the R’s will control the House for years to come. They are retiring not merely because of loss of power, but becuase they have no expectation of regaining power anytime soon. Remember, the House, unlike the Senate, is no fun at all when you’re in the minority.
These guys see the writing on the wall. They know they can hold their seats in safe districts as long as they want, but what’s the point if they are going to be in the minority party? Seniority matters towards getting a Chairmanship, but only if your Party is in the majority – the majority Party holds ALL the Chairs of every committee.
