Quitters in Office: Betraying Voters One Resignation at a Time

Remember being a kid when your parents drilled into you, "If you start something, finish it"? 

Or, "Winners never quit, quitters never win!"

It seems some Republican members of the House of Representatives missed those lessons.

So far, six GOP members of the current Congress have called it quits before the end of their terms. This leaves their districts unrepresented and the national balance of power teetering on the edge.

We should be beyond concerned for our republic. 

Each vacancy not only leaves voters without an advocate at the federal level but also nudges the House closer to a Democratic takeover.

Is handing the keys to Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., and giving President Joe Biden unchecked power really what these quitters had in mind?

Probably not, but unfortunately, that scenario could easily become a reality.

It's not in the least far-fetched.

To be fair, not every resignation is a flight of fancy.

Rep. Chris Stewart, R-Utah, stepped down in late 2023 to care for his sick wife.

This author will never criticize an individual for putting their family ahead of their career.

Indeed, it’s a sign of commendable character.

In less-than-ideal circumstances, Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., was expelled from Congress in December 2023, becoming only the sixth member in its history to be forcibly removed.

Clearly, Santos’ departure was anything but voluntary.

However, not all departures are created equal.

The remaining four members of the House Republican Caucus who chose to exit their posts early did so without compelling reasons, abandoning their responsibilities and, more importantly, their constituents.

Consider Rep. Bill Johnson, R-Ohio, who ditched Congress in early 2024 to become the president of Youngstown State University.

The job comes with a pay raise, with Johnson set to make $410,000 with potential bonuses, as opposed to the paltry $174,000 he was earning in Congress.

Then there’s Rep. Ken Buck, R-Colo., who announced in November 2023 that he would not seek a sixth term in the House.

However, in early 2024, Buck announced that he would be resigning prematurely, triggering a costly special election for his seat.

In announcing his resignation, Buck vaguely claimed there was "a job out there that I want to go do," disregarding the fact that voters had elected him to do a job until January 2025.

Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., also opted for an early exit.

Despite being seen as a rising star within the GOP and dubbed the party’s "Chinese watchdog," he decided that "Congress is no place to grow old."

If Gallagher truly was reluctant to grow old in Congress, why run again only to resign before completing his term? He could have easily stepped aside in 2022 to take a more lucrative job with defense contractor Palantir, where he ultimately ended up.

Lastly, the dramatic departure of Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., who became the first Speaker of the House to be removed from the position during a legislative session, marked a historic disruption.

While McCarthy was removed from House GOP leadership, his constituents in California elected him to a full two-year term.

They weren’t electing him as speaker but rather as their representative in the people’s House.

Ultimately, there’s little we can do as voters to stop members from resigning before the completion of their terms without compelling personal circumstances like those faced by Stewart.

But outside of genuine health or family crises, we should demand as voters that our leaders take their oaths seriously and that they be willing to stay, and commit to, the distance when constituents entrust them with the roles they campaigned for.

We’re facing numerous challenges as a nation. The last thing we should have to do is question whether our elected officials will stick it out.

President Biden’s agenda has been disastrous for our nation.

With the executive branch and one-half of the legislative branch under his grasp, the House is the one thing preventing his radical and out-of-touch agenda from becoming a reality.

A House under Democratic control gives the green light for a Biden agenda on steroids.

So, perhaps in the next election, our first question to potential candidates should be, "Will you commit to completing your term if elected?" Only if they answer in the affirmative should we then proceed to tougher conversations and topic matters.

At the end of the day, our Republic demands politicians who are not just capable, but also willing to stick it out and honor their commitments — not just bail when the next best thing comes along.

Jacob Lane is a Republican strategist and school choice activist. He has worked for GOP campaigns at the federal, state and local levels, as well as with various PACs and nonprofits. Read Jacob Lane's Reports — More Here.