January 5, 2010: On the first Tuesday of the New Year a series of surprising resignations shocked the political world. The announcements capped off a year full of retirements from Capitol Hill. Lawmakers from both parties have declared their plans to leave Congress for a host of reasons. Some left to seek another office, others resigned from public life altogether. And a few legislators decided to walk away rather than face a difficult election. The retirements have reshuffled the Congressional deck and created hurdles for both Democrats and Republicans.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://talkingpointsmemo.com/?p=132164