Another House Republican is resigning.
Every week it seems like a new House Republican announces their resignation. We’re just getting breaking news that Charlie Dent, the Republican representative from the 15th congressional district of Pennsylvania, has announced he’s resigning from his seat in the next couple of weeks.
Dent had already announced he wasn’t going to run for re-election. But now he’s actually vacating his seat before the congressional term is up, paving the way for another special election.
From Roll Call:
Pennsylvania GOP Rep. Charlie Dent announced Tuesday that he would resign from Congress “in the coming weeks.”
Dent, a moderate Republican, had announced last year that he would not run for re-election. In a statement Tuesday that he also posted on Twitter, Dent said he decided to leave Congress “after discussions with my family and careful reflection.
“It is my intention to continue to aggressively advocate for responsible governance and pragmatic solutions in the coming years,” Dent said.
BREAKING: Rep. Charlie DENT announces he’ll resign in May. pic.twitter.com/Ke25mdCY3G
— Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) April 17, 2018
JUST IN: Rep. Charlie Dent announces his intention to resign from Congress next month. pic.twitter.com/8EkoIyk6p1
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) April 17, 2018
Here is the message Dent just put out:
After discussions with my family & careful reflection, I have decided to leave Congress in the coming weeks. Serving the people of #PA15 has been a tremendous responsibility & the privilege of a lifetime. pic.twitter.com/p8mik6s8ix
— Rep. Charlie Dent (@RepCharlieDent) April 17, 2018
Dent was never a Trump-supporting Republican. He’s been critical of the President at times, and it looks like he’s had it with pushing Trump’s agenda in Congress:
Dent told me last year he was concerned with the GOP’s “growing trends of isolationism, protectionism and nativism” under Trump. Now, he’s leaving early. https://t.co/UptVd1Bbpj
— Andrew Desiderio (@desiderioDC) April 17, 2018
While Dent doesn’t support Trump on everything, he still supported the larger Republican agenda. A Democrat in his seat won’t support the President or the Party. And that’s why this isn’t a good sign for Trump, who needs his party’s support to govern. The GOP already lost an easily winnable House special election in Pennsylvania. Even Trump couldn’t get the candidate over the finish line. Additionally, nearly 40 Republican House members won’t be seeking re-election this year, leaving plenty of open spots vulnerable to Democrats this fall.
The most consequential of departures is that of Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, who announced his resignation last week.
Many of these Republicans are uncomfortable with Donald Trump’s hostile takeover of the GOP. So they’re leaving in droves, rather than working with the President. That might seem like a benefit to Trump, but it won’t help if Democrats take their seats in return.
Should this grand departure help Democrats in taking back the House, it’ll mean that Trump’s agenda is finished for the rest of his first term.
What do you think? Does this great Republican exodus spell doom for Trump’s agenda? Tell us your thoughts below.