Opinion: Moderate Republicans seek retirement during Trump’s presidency

The party of former President Ronald Reagan is gone.

When Speaker of the House Paul Ryan announced his retirement on April 11, it not only sent shock waves through the Republican Party and across Capitol Hill, it also highlighted an increasing trend of Republican lawmakers who are choosing not to seek reelection this year. For the most part, these law makers consist of those who have been critical of President Donald Trump for his foreign and economic policies.

The Party of Reagan was known for its limited government and free trade policies that focused on promoting economic prosperity. However, President Trump’s focus has been on implementing nationalist and protectionist policies, as demonstrated by the ongoing trade-war with China and the passage of a massive spending bill.

Already this year, an astounding 40 Republicans have announced that they will be leaving the House of Representatives, shattering the previous retirement record of 28 Democrats in 1994. While 13 of these lawmakers are running for another office, the majority have decided to call in an early retirement.

These retirements reflect the changing face of the Republican Party under Trump. The party is losing many of its moderate members, as they have grown tired of being ignored by a president whose policies they also have to defend to constituents.

A study by the Hoover Institute found that an increasing number of voters do not differentiate between a political candidate and the national politics of their party. The nationalization of House and Senate races has been on the rise since 1996 and ultimately means that constituents care less about the voting record of their elected officials and more about their voting record.

Because of this, retiring lawmakers like Pennsylvanian Congressman Charlie Dent have cited a reluctance to continue defending Trump’s policies and tweets to the public as the reason for their retirement.

“This campaign cycle, 2018, will simply be a referendum on the president,” Dent said in an interview with National Public Radio. “We’ll be talking about him and his latest tweet or comment or an incendiary remark or whatever. So, you’re really not speaking about or talking about major issues.”

The focus on statements made by the president rather than the policies of the candidate alienates those who differ from the president and are critical of his actions. Many of these moderate Republicans such as Rodney Frelinghuysen and Frank LoBiodo from New Jersey voted against the Republican Party on a variety of legislation ranging from the former President Barack Obama’s health care law repeal to the most recent spending bill. Others, such as Tennessee Representative John Duncan Jr. support a non-interventionist foreign policy and have been critical of Trump’s handling of North Korea and the Middle East.

For these representatives, an election would have meant defending Trump’s policies and behavior at the expense of their personal beliefs. On the other hand, standing by their personal views and continuing to criticize Trump is liable to alienate his supporters and affect voter turnout on election day. Thus, the House members are currently faced with three scenarios — where they either stick to their ideals and lose the race, are reelected but have no real power in Congress due to their unwillingness to support Trump or they trade in their policies and join the party of Trump.

During the 2016 election, Ryan supported Trump in his race against then democratic-candidate Hillary Clinton in the hopes of retaining his speakership and winning the Republican Party the White House. However, after two years of controlling both branches of Congress and the White House, Ryan is no doubt frustrated with the ineffectiveness of Congress and their inability to pass the legislation promised on the campaign trail.

Ryan ran for Congress on a free-market, limited government platform with the goal of reducing taxes, government spending and removing tariffs to promote free trade. While he was successful in securing the passage of tax cuts, he also helped to increase government spending and watched as Trump engaged in a trade war with China.

With Ryan’s retirement, the GOP that was focused on promoting free trade, reduced regulations and cuts to government spending is coming to an end. As the party shifts its priorities, Republicans are also expected to lose a large number of House seats to Democrats in the fall diminishing, and potentially eliminating, their current 24-seat majority.

House elections come around every two years and every time the majority is up for grabs. While control of the House might be fleeting, the impact that Trump has left on the Republican Party will be felt for many years to come.