Twenty-nine Members of Congress have announced their retirements so far with possibly more to come.  A number of these retirements are moderate Democratic and Republican members.  Two Members who have been involved in agriculture are Congressmen Mike McIntyre (D-NC) and Tom Latham (R-IA).  McIntyre is a senior member of the House Agriculture Committee and is a member of the House-Senate farm bill conference committee.  

Like what you’re reading? Subscribe to the National Hog Farmer Weekly Preview newsletter and get the latest news delivered right to your inbox every week!

Latham is a senior member of the House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee.  He served on the House Agriculture Committee his first term in Congress.  Other Members who are retiring include Congressmen Jim Gerlach (R-PA), Jim Matheson (D-UT), Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY), Buck McKeon (R-CA), Mike Michaud (D-ME), George Miller (D-CA), Jim Moran (D-VA), Jon Runyan (R-NJ), and Frank Wolf (R-VA).  A number of these seats will now become competitive races in this year’s election. We continue to see more and more centrist Members retiring and often times replaced by a more conservative or liberal members who make governing more difficult.