Put another way: We're entering an election cycle in which every pickup for Democrats matters, and Republican retirements are set to be a major factor in their ability to knock off Republicans. At the top of their target list are 23 districts that Republicans currently hold that Hillary Clinton won in November. As I wrote on Monday:Since Brookings Institution started tracking retirements in the 1930s, Republicans have never had this many retirements in one election cycle. Retirements are a big reason Democrats are positioned to try to take back control of the House of Representatives for the first time in eight years. Costello's retirement may be the most dramatic example of how Republican retirements are benefiting Democrats this election cycle.

Source: Washington Post March 27, 2018 16:26 UTC