Dozens of lawmakers have already been confirmed to not be making a return trip to the nation’s capital for the next Congress, as American voters gear up to elect all 435 members of the House and a third of the 100-seat Senate in the midterm elections this fall. A total of 57 members of the House, along with 11 senators, have announced they will not be seeking re-election.
Add to that four House members and two senators who lost their re-election bids in primary races. What follows is a list of the more notable individuals in Congress who will not be participating in the 120th Congress, which will take office in January 2027, following what is sure to be a highly contentious and exciting midterm.
One individual that many conservatives are not going to miss, not even a little, is Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY), 84, who has served in the upper chamber of Congress since 1985. McConnell announced that he would be retiring following the end of his current term. During his 41-year career in politics, the Kentucky Republican served as both the Senate’s majority and minority leaders. He also led the GOP Senate conference for 18 years straight before stepping down and being replaced by Sen. John Thune (R-SD).
The reason many MAGA supporters aren’t members of the McConnell fan club is due to his breaking with President Donald Trump on a number of policies, including his tariff and trade plan and voting against the addition of a funding package to the SAVE America Act. Folks also slammed him for the lackluster performance of the GOP during the 2022 midterms.
According to The Daily Caller, another familiar face we will no longer be seeing at the end of this current Congress is Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), 86, who also announced she would be retiring. Pelosi, 86, began her congressional career in the 1980s and served several terms as the speaker of the House. Pelosi announced her retirement in November 2025. She has served 20 terms in public office.
Pelosi has become infamous in recent years as a series of stock trades she made during her tenure has come under scrutiny. Some observers allege that the California Democrat engaged in insider trading, which she, of course, denies. However, her net worth exploded by a factor of 23 during her time in Congress, which is more than a little suspicious.
Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) is also stepping down from her post at the conclusion of the current term, but for a very different reason than many of her colleagues. Mace, 48, is retiring from Congress in order to run for governor of South Carolina. She is currently considered to be the underdog in the gubernatorial primary race, set to be held on June 9, 2026, according to recent polling data. Making the road ahead even more perilous is the fact that President Trump endorsed her opponent, Republican South Carolina Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette.
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Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX), 42, who served four terms in Congress, was, shockingly, defeated in the March 2026 primary race and has thus been booted from office by voters. Many consider him to be a Republican In Name Only (RINO) after he supported gun control legislation that would have limited Second Amendment rights. He also did not secure Trump’s nomination, a factor that certainly played a role in his downfall.
Another loss for the Democrats is Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX), 45, who lost her congressional seat after she decided to run for Senate, a race she lost in the primary to State Rep. James Talarico. Crockett has proven to be a divisive individual, referring to Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott as “Governor Hot Wheels” because he is in a wheelchair and calling Trump “Temu Hitler.”
Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) also lost his re-election bid in the primary to Attorney General Ken Paxton, who received President Trump’s endorsement. Cornyn was defeated by a whopping 28 points. Trump accused Cornyn, who is considered a RINO, of not fighting hard enough to pass the SAVE America Act, of which he is a cosponsor. Cornyn also came under fire for his stance on the Second Amendment after he voted in favor of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act following the Uvalde school shooting.
The Daily Caller also noted that Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), 55, lost his primary re-election bid. Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) stepped away from running for re-election in order to enter the race for attorney general, which he lost. Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) resigned from his congressional seat after several women came forward and accused him of sexual harassment and assault.