Former lawmakers returning to Congress

At least two former lawmakers will return to Congress next year after winning in the 2014 midterm elections.

Former Reps. Bob Dold (R-Ill.) and Frank Guinta (R-N.H.) are making congressional comebacks. Both served one term in the House after being elected in 2010. They lost their seats in 2012 and won them back again in rematches this year.

{mosads}Two other former members of Congress making comeback bids are still waiting for their races to be called. Former Rep. Doug Ose’s (R-Calif.) bid to unseat freshman Rep. Ami Bera (D) is still too close to call, though Ose holds a narrow lead. And in Louisiana, former Rep. Edwin Edwards (D) is headed to a Dec. 6 runoff against Republican Garret Graves.

But the majority of former members in races this year won’t be returning to Capitol Hill. 

Former Rep. Nan Hayworth (R-N.Y.) lost narrowly to Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney (D-N.Y.) by about a point. Another fellow member of the class of 2010 who had no prior political experience four years ago, former Rep. Bobby Schilling (R-Ill.), fell short in his campaign to unseat Rep. Cheri Bustos (D-Ill.).

In Hawaii, former Rep. Charles Djou (R-Hawaii), who served a brief term in 2010 after winning a special election, lost to Democrat Mark Takai.

None of the former senators running for seats in the upper chamber won their races. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen’s (D-N.H.) reelection was one of the few bright spots for Democrats on Tuesday night as she fought off a challenge from former Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.), who was accused of being a carpetbagger for running in a state he didn’t previously represent.

In South Dakota, former Sen. Larry Pressler ran as an Independent but lost to former Gov. Mike Rounds (R).