House committee chair announces retirement

When a slew of Republicans in the House announced their retirements in 2006, people took it as a leading indicator of a coming realignment for George Bush’s second midterms.  Already we have seen three Democrats announce retirements in 2009, well ahead of the 2010 midterms, including Brian Baird (D-WA), who is only 53 years old.  Now Bart Gordon (D-TN), who will be only 61 years old next month, has also decided to retire despite chairing a major House committee.  A.C. Kleinheider published the press release from this morning for the Nashville Post:

After more than a quarter-century of public service to his home state of Tennessee, U.S. Rep. Bart Gordon announced his plans to retire from Congress when his current term ends in 2010.

“I feel honored that the people of Middle Tennessee have allowed me to serve them for the past 25 years,” said Gordon. “Every decision I have made in Congress has been with their best interests in mind. I hope the people here at home feel that I have served them as well as their good advice and views have served me. ….

The son of a farmer and schoolteacher, Gordon was named chairman of the House Science and Technology Committee in 2007, becoming Tennessee’s first full committee chairman in 30 years.

Gordon became the chair after Democrats took control of Congress in those 2006 midterms.  Holding a chair on an important committee is a major consideration for both Gordon and Tennessee.  If Gordon thought he could hold his own seat and Democrats hold the majority, he would be loathe to relinquish it.

National Journal explains one part of the decision:

But regardless of the reason, Gordon leaves open a seat Dems could have trouble defending. Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) won the district in ’08 by a 62%-37% margin, and national GOPers instantly characterized it as a lean-GOP seat that is likely to eventually fall into their hands.

Gordon joins Reps. John Tanner (D-TN), Dennis Moore (D-KS) and Brian Baird (D-WA), all of whom have announced they will step down since Thanksgiving. GOPers are thrilled with their prospects in all 3 seats.

If it seems like the (Democ)rats have begun to flee a sinking ship, it’s probably because they are.  This is the first full-committee chair to make that decision, which is a significant development.  Expect these “retirements” to accelerate, especially in the blue-dog districts that gave Nancy Pelosi her majority.