Rep. Ed Royce to retire, joining stream of Republicans leaving Congress

Erin Kelly | USA TODAY

House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce announced Monday that he will not seek re-election, leaving his Orange County, Calif. seat vulnerable to a possible takeover by Democrats in the November election.

Royce, who has served in the House for nearly 26 years, was expected to face a tough re-election battle if he had chosen to run again. He also was barred by House term limit rules from serving again as Foreign Affairs chairman, although he had reportedly been considering a bid for the chairmanship of the House Financial Services Committee.

Royce is one of several relatively moderate Republicans from California whose jobs have become endangered as the state has become increasingly Democratic. President Trump is a liability for Republican lawmakers in the state, where two-thirds of voters disapprove of his performance, according to a USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times poll released in November.

So far, 15 Republican House members and three Republican senators have announced that they will not seek re-election and plan to retire when their terms end in January 2018. There are seven Democrats in the House who also have announced that they will retire at the end of their terms. Democrats need to score a net gain of 24 seats in November to take control of the House.

"In this final year of my Foreign Affairs Committee chairmanship, I want to focus fully on the urgent threats facing our nation, including: the brutal, corrupt and dangerous regimes in Pyongyang and Tehran, Vladimir Putin’s continued efforts to weaponize information to fracture western democracies, and growing terrorist threats in Africa and Central Asia," Royce said in a statement. "With this in mind, and with the support of my wife Marie, I have decided not to seek reelection in November."

It’s truly an honor to represent the people of California’s 39th Congressional District. My full statement on the decision not to seek reelection this November: pic.twitter.com/hGRW7rLWGZ — Ed Royce (@RepEdRoyce) January 8, 2018

Royce joins several other retiring GOP committee chairmen, including Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte of Virginia, Transportation Chairman Bill Shuster of Pennsylvania, Science Chairman Lamar Smith of Texas, and Financial Services Chairman Jeb Hensarling of Texas.

The House is currently made up of 239 Republicans and 193 Democrats, with three vacancies, according to the Office of the Clerk. The president's party usually experiences losses in the mid-term election.

Last week, Trump nominated Royce's wife, Marie Royce, to be assistant secretary of state for educational and cultural affairs at the State Department.