'Unanticipated' GOP House retirement is handing Dems a shot at another seat: NYT

Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE) will reportedly announce he will not run for re-election on Monday which could hand Democrats a shot at another seat as they try and retake the House in next year's midterms.

With Republicans already casting a wary eye at the 2026 election, Bacon, who has succeeded in bucking Donald Trump, stepping down provides Democrats with a "prime opportunity to pick up a seat in the closely divided House."

According to the Time's Annie Karni the "upcoming announcement, which was reported earlier by Punchbowl News, marked a major break for Democrats hoping to win control of the House next year, and with it a foothold for pushing back against Mr. Trump. Republicans control the House with a slim three-vote majority."

According to her analysis, Bacon's district has been trending "leftward," with Karni noting, "... that both former President Joseph R. Biden Jr. and former Vice President Kamala Harris won [it] by more than four points."

Madison Andrus, a spokesperson for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee pointed out, "The writing has been on the wall for months. Don Bacon’s decision to not seek re-election in 2026 is the latest vote of no-confidence for House Republicans and their electoral prospects.”

You can read more here.