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Lawmaker departures are a 'canary in the mine,' expert says
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Jan 10, 2018
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Lawmaker departures are a 'canary in the mine,' expert says
The leading edge of a wave is always retirements of incumbents, Rafe Sonenshein tells Take Two.
U.S. Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) is planning to introduce an immigration bill that would give legal status to undocumented immigrants for six years.
U.S. Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) is planning to introduce an immigration bill that would give legal status to undocumented immigrants for six years.
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The leading edge of a wave is always retirements of incumbents, Rafe Sonenshein tells Take Two.

There's been yet another shakeup in Congress. Long-time Republican Representative Darrell Issa announced Wednesday that he would not be seeking re-election. 

The statement comes days after Fullerton Congressman Ed Royce announced he would not run again.

Rafe Sonenshein, the executive director of the Pat Brown Institute at Cal State LA, says the decision is telling:

"The leading edge of a wave is always retirements of incumbents," he tells Take Two. 



It's the canary in the mine when incumbents don't run, and the only way to resist a wave is to have incumbents who people are used to voting for, and then that becomes sort of a block to the wave. Losing incumbents is scary for Republicans right now.