SEATTLE — U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., announced Thursday she will not seek reelection this fall, joining a wave of retirements in a House of Representatives whose dysfunction has been on full public display this week.
In giving up on nearly two decades of seniority — and a powerful committee chair position — at just 54 years old, McMorris Rodgers’ decision was taken by some Washington Republican political observers as a clear sign that remaining in the fractious GOP House majority was just not worth it any more.
McMorris Rodgers announced her decision in a statement saying she’d been honored to represent the people of Eastern Washington.
“They inspire me every day. They are part of the strength and soul of America — the greatest experiment in self-governance the world has ever known. After much prayer and reflection, I’ve decided the time has come to serve them in new ways. I will not be running for reelection to the People’s House,” she said.
The statement did not give a specific reason for her departure and did not say what her future plans were, except to predict “the best is yet to come.”
McMorris Rodgers declined interview requests through her spokesperson, Kyle Von Ende, who said she wanted her statement to speak for itself.
Her announcement came amid some high-profile disarray in Congress this week, as efforts to reach a bipartisan deal on border security fell apart, and House Republicans tried but failed to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
The announcement makes McMorris Rodgers the second member of Washington’s congressional delegation to decline to run for reelection this year. U.S. Rep. Derek Kilmer, a Democrat, announced in November he wouldn’t seek a seventh term, citing the personal toll the job had taken on his family life.
McMorris Rodgers’ choice to step aside comes at a high point in her seniority and power in the House of Representatives, as she chairs the powerful House Energy and Commerce Committee, where she has been a vocal critic of Biden administration policies and of plans to potentially tear down four Lower Snake River dams.
She had socked away more than $1.6 million for her reelection campaign and faced no big-name challengers in the solidly Republican 5th Congressional District, where she was reelected in 2022 with nearly 60% of the vote.
In that context, her decision was seen by some observers locally and nationally as a further sign of just how unappealing the House has become for politicians who want to get things done.
“When a new chair of a top committee retires, it tells you exactly how bad a workplace Congress has become,” said Doug Heye, a former Republican National Committee communications director, in a post on the social media platform X.
Metropolitan King County Councilmember Reagan Dunn praised McMorris Rodgers as “a trailblazer” and “a dedicated public servant” who was politically aligned with her district. But he said her decision was a sign of distaste for what’s going on in Washington, D.C.
“Obviously there are major league problems with how Congress is functioning and I think Americans across the board are concerned about its ability to get the people’s business done,” said Dunn.
Former state GOP chairman Chris Vance, now an independent, noted that McMorris Rodgers had previously risen to be part of GOP leadership as conference chair and then gave that up in favor of the Energy and Commerce post.
“She was on the leadership track and then jumped into the policy track, and the House Republicans aren’t making policy any more,” said Vance. “What does it even matter being chairman of the most powerful committee and you’re not doing anything and you have to put up with Matt Gaetz and Marjorie Taylor Greene screaming at you all the time?”
Unlike some congressional Republicans, McMorris Rodgers wasn’t facing a primary threat from the MAGA wing of the GOP.
She was the only member of the Washington congressional delegation to vote against impeaching former President Donald Trump for his actions stoking the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol.
As a reward, she was endorsed by Trump in 2022 while her two Washington House GOP colleagues, Reps. Jaime Herrera Beutler and Dan Newhouse, got Trump-backed primary opponents. Herrera Beutler was ousted in the primary; Newhouse held on to his seat largely because too many pro-Trump challengers split the vote against him.
Newhouse, R-Wash., now McMorris Rodgers’ lone remaining Republican colleague in Washington, praised her as a “conservative champion” for the state and the country.
“Her constituents in Eastern Washington, and Congress as an institution, are better off because of her dedicated service,” Newhouse said in a prepared statement. “As a friend, I wish her the very best wherever the next chapter takes her.”
There has been rampant speculation in state Republican circles that Newhouse may be the next to announce his retirement. He did not answer on Thursday when asked whether he planned to seek another term.
Newhouse already faces one Republican challenger, Prosser businessman Jerrod Sessler, who ran unsuccessfully against Newhouse in 2022. Sessler has echoed baseless conspiracy theories about the Jan. 6 Capitol attack, claiming it was orchestrated by left-wing agitators to frame Trump.
The Washington State Democratic Party, in a post on the social media platform X, thanked McMorris Rodgers “for your years of service to Eastern Washington,” and added “Now, Democrats will be working to flip the 5th!” Two Democrats, Ann Marie Danimus and Carmela Conroy have been raising money to run for the seat prior to Thursday’s announcement.
McMorris Rodgers became the 18th House Republican so far to forgo reelection this year. Two others resigned, including former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy of California, who quit in December after getting ousted from his speaker post by the House GOP. One other House Republican, George Santos of New York, was expelled in December for a well-publicized array of lies and scandals.
Her retirement from the House signals a new chapter in a life that has revolved from a young age around politics and government.
McMorris Rodgers was elected to the House in 2004, winning a competitive Republican primary and then the general election, succeeding Rep. George Nethercutt, who famously defeated Democratic House Speaker Tom Foley in 1994. She had previously served as a state representative for a decade and was a legislative aide before that.
In her statement on Thursday, McMorris Rodgers talked about her faith and family as drivers of her career, and expressed hope for the future.
“No matter the division, we must unite in prayer. And as we do, we will bring hope and healing to broken lives, broken families, and broken systems failing broken people. Together, may we always be guided by God’s abundant grace and wisdom to keep the promise of America alive.”
