Sources: Another Republican to retire
Regula is the second longest-serving Republican in the House.
WASHINGTON (CNN) - Rep. Ralph Regula of Ohio, the second longest-serving Republican in the House, will announce Friday that he will retire rather than seek re-election to a 19th term next year, two GOP congressional sources told CNN Thursday.
Regula, 83, a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee and the senior Republican in the Ohio delegation, will make the announcement back home in his northeast Ohio district, the sources said.
The departure of Regula, first elected in 1972, brings the number of GOP House members retiring next year to at least 10, adding additional difficulty to the party's chances of taking back the House in 2008.
In addition to those 10 retirements, another Republican member, Rep. Heather Wilson of New Mexico, is running for the Senate, and Rep. Tom Davis of Virginia is also expected to leave to seek a Senate seat.
Republicans would need to keep those 12 open seats and wrest away at least 16 Democrat-held seats in order to recapture the majority they lost in 2006. And so far, only one Democrat has announced plans to depart - Rep. Tom Allen of Maine, who is running for the Senate.
Although Regula has held a firm grip on his 16th District seat, centered in the Canton area, operatives in both parties expect the race to succeed him to be competitive.
While President Bush carried the district twice, both Democratic Gov. Ted Strickland and Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown won it in 2006, which was a banner year for Democrats in the Buckeye State.
Anticipating an opportunity, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee recruited state Sen. John Boccieri to run for the seat, a Democratic congressional aide said. However, a Republican aide said GOP leaders "were not surprised" by Regula's retirement and have also been reaching out to potential candidates.
- CNN's Deirdre Walsh contributed to this report
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All this emphasises how important the next election will be. Conservatives continue praying that Hillary receives the Democratic nomination – mobilizing the Anyone-But-Hillary sentiment. These voters will likely cast Republican votes for the other candidates on the ballot.
Imagine... Hillary being tossed out... and a wave of Republicans taking over the House and Senate – again.
If I was a Republican,and I am not,I think that the election of '08 could very well give the Democrats a veto proof congress.Between the Republican retirees and the open senate and house seats plus the anger of the people at the Bush congress the Republican future looks bleak at best.Let's vote now!
GOOD. THEY ARE ALL A BUNCH OF LIARS AND THIEVES. ROTTEN TO THE CORE AND PITIFUL. THEY ARE THE FILTH OF THE EARTH. THERE MOUTHS SPEW GARBAGE ALL OVER THE COUNTRY EVERYTIME THEY TALK. THEY EVEN STEAL PEOPLE'S IDENTITYS. THEY ARE CONSIDERED TRASH BY MOST PEOPLE.
Another one bites the dust
Another one bites the dust
And another one gone, and another one gone
Another one bites the dust
Hey, Im gonna get you too
Another one bites the dust
Democrats have a great chance, and a great candidate in this race. OH-16 is also on top of Democratic opportunities (check out these reecnt House rankings).
What I would say to the Republicans in next year's elections is duck and cover how many more seats will the GOP have to defend there is no way they will take back control of the House or the Senate and they will lose the White House to Hillary Clinton so duck and cover cause it is going to be a great year for Democrats. The reason they are leaving congress is because they know they are going to keep being in the minority and no political party likes to be in the minority.
The only Republican who will NOT freely retire is Senator Craig of Idaho!
One less homophobic racist rethuglican to deal with. On with the 100% democrat house!
We need to begin filling these positions with "God Fearing" men and women who will Defend the US Constitution against ALL enemies both DOMESTIC and Abroad !
That is why I am voting for Pete Grasso !
http://www.GrassoForPresident.com
The Republican Party is going DOWN!
They won't give up easy, but they know where they are headed.
Unless they don't change their core base, the GOP will fade away. They know this.
I, for one, am just glad he knows when to retire. There are some in Congress, both Democrat and Republican, who think its their Gog-given duty to serve until their dead. And while I respect that, there has to be change and at least this guy isn't pushing it.