Reps. Wiley Nickel (D-N.C.) and Drew Ferguson (R-Ga.), who both represent deep-red districts, announced on Dec. 14 they will not be seeking reelection in 2024.
Mr. Nickel, 48, in his first term, said he isn’t running because of how the recent redistricting approved by the North Carolina Legislature affects the district he represents.
“Republicans have rigged the system to favor themselves and I don’t have a path to run for reelection in the 13th district,” Mr. Nickel said in a statement.
Mr. Nickel was elected in 2022 to the seat left vacant when incumbent Ted Budd, a Republican, ran for the Senate. Mr. Nickel defeated Republican Bo Hines with 51.6 percent of the vote.
The district was one of many redrawn by the GOP-controlled Legislature. State lawmakers approved the new map in October.
In the midterms, Mr. Nickel was one of seven Democrats to win elections to represent North Carolina in the House. Seven Republicans also won. The map had been redrawn after the state’s top court ruled against an earlier version.
The newly redrawn and approved map favors Republicans much more than the previous version, leading to a wave of retirements.
Reps. Jeff Jackson (D-N.C.) and Kathy Manning (D-N.C.) have already said they will not seek another term, citing the redistricting. Rep. Don Davis (D-N.C.) is defending his seat, even though his district has moved to the right.
Shifts in the districts prompted the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics to predict Republicans will take 11 seats in 2024, including the seat currently held by Mr. Nickel.
That district has shifted from 50 percent people who voted for President Joe Biden in 2020 and 48.3 percent people who voted for former President Donald Trump to 40.6 percent the former and 57.8 percent the latter, according to the center.
More than half a dozen Republicans have filed for the seat, including former federal prosecutor Brad Knott, former intelligence officer Matt Shoemaker, and author Kenny Xu.
Mr. Hines isn’t a contender, as he’s started a bid for the seat held by Ms. Manning.
Mr. Nickel said he would be working to help Democrats win races in 2024 and that he would be running for U.S. Senate in 2026. Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) currently holds that seat, after winning in 2020 with 48.7 percent of the vote.
“Wiley Nickel just gave Republicans an early Christmas gift with another pickup in the battle for the House majority,” Delanie Bomar, a spokeswoman for the National Republican Congressional Committee, said in a statement.
Mr. Ferguson, 57, also said on Dec. 14 that he'll be stepping down at the end of this term. He has been in office since 2017.
“Julie and I look forward to spending more time with our children and grandchildren while continuing to work to keep Georgia the best state in America to live and do business,” Mr. Ferguson said in a statement.
He said he was honored to represent Georgia in the House.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee hasn’t yet commented on Mr. Ferguson’s retirement.
More Retirements
Twenty-three Democrats and 13 Republicans in the House have said either that they aren’t running for reelection or that they will leave office before their terms end. Several others have already left.Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), 58, Rep. Andy Kim (D-N.J.), 41, and Rep. Colin Allred (D-Texas), 40, are among the members who are leaving but represent seats rated by political handicappers as safe to stay in their respective parties.
Several seats represented by Democrats beyond North Carolina, though, are considered up for grabs.
Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), 47, represents Michigan’s 7th Congressional District, which just narrowly went for President Biden in 2020. She won in 2022 with 51.7 percent of the vote.
Rep. Dan Kildee (D-Mich.), 65, represents another district that President Biden barely won in 2020.
Republicans have also eyed Virginia’s 7th Congressional District, which Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-Va.), 44, won with 52 percent of the vote in 2022, as a possible pickup.
Republicans currently hold 221 seats and Democrats 213.
One seat is vacant, after the House voted to remove Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.).
Republicans in New York on Dec. 14 chose Mazi Pilip, an Ethiopian native who represents Long Island in the Nassau County Legislature, as the Republican nominee for the special election for the seat.
Ms. Pilip, 44, served in the Israel Defense Forces before moving to New York. She won the 2021 election by 7 percent over incumbent Ellen Birnbaum.
New York Democrats picked former Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-N.Y.) as their nominee.
Mr. Suozzi, 61, represented the district in the House from 2017 to 2023. He didn’t run for another term, instead vying for the governorship, but he lost to incumbent Kathy Hochul, another Democrat.
“Tom Suozzi has a proven record of fighting for his constituents, fighting to safeguard our suburban way of life here on Long Island and Queens and always advocating for sensible solutions to the real challenges affecting everyday average Americans,” Democrat leaders said in a statement.
The special election is scheduled to take place on Feb. 13, 2024. The winner will control the seat through early 2025, unless he or she wins in the regular election in November.
