Meet the ‘Retread Caucus’

Meet the “Retread Caucus.”

No, it’s not another formal congressional coalition. It’s a disparate group of House Republicans and Democrats who have one thing in common: they’ve won a purplish seat in Congress, turned it over to the other party the next cycle and then won it back again.

{mosads}“I jokingly told people back in my district I was sent home on injured reserve for two years and came back as a retread,” Rep. Tim Walberg (R-Mich.) said in an interview in his Rayburn Building office. A former Protestant pastor and state lawmaker, Walberg was elected to the House in 2006, defeated by Mark Schauer in the 2008 Democratic wave and then back in office after a 2010 rematch.    

“Some said I came back for remedial training,” Walberg joked. “I was in the freshman class twice.”

Like Walberg, Rep. Steve Chabot (R-Ohio) lost in 2008 only to mount a successful comeback in 2010, while Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick (D-Ariz.) rode President Obama’s coattails in 2008, was swept out of office in the Tea Party wave of 2010 and returned in 2012.

And both Reps. Frank Guinta (R-N.H.) and Robert Dold (R-Ill.) are retreads in the 2015 freshman class. They were hired by voters in 2010, fired in 2012 and then won their jobs back in 2014.

These are among the few, rare competitive seats left in the increasingly polarized House of Representatives. And they often change hands depending on which way the political winds are blowing.

But the frequent turnovers can be dizzying for constituents back home and cause disruptions on Capitol Hill.

Members are forced to layoff dozens of staffers after an election loss, and they’re not always available to rehire in the event the seat is reclaimed. Lawmakers can lose prime office space on Capitol Hill. A defeat can also stop cold a member’s efforts to rally support for a piece of legislation.

“Continuity is important because there is an ability get things accomplished on behalf of your district when there is continuity,” Guinta told The Hill. “Whomever is in the seat, there is an argument to be made for continuity.”

Change is healthy. But too much change can be harmful, Walberg said.

“I’ve never been a supporter of term limits because I believe the people term limit you,” he said. But electing a new congressman every two years “means you have no seniority, no institutional background, and I think you hurt yourself.” 

There are advantages, too, for retreads who have been here before: they don’t need to ask for directions around the Capitol. They already have forged relationships with leadership, chairmen and other colleagues.

And typically, they get to keep their seniority and return to the committees they previously served on, which can help with getting their bills to the floor. 

“The return is a lot easier. You know where everything is; you already know the process. With experience, you gain maturity,” Guinta said. “You have a better ability to effectuate the goals and objectives that you set out for your district.”

Dold agreed, saying he’s built a number of relationships with Democrats that can serve as a foundation for bipartisan legislation. That’s an advantage he has over other freshmen arriving in Washington for the first time.

“I look at this not really as a negative but something of a positive,” said Dold, who was ousted by Democrat Brad Schneider in 2012 and then returned the favor in a 2014 rematch.

Not all retreads are the same. Rep. Matt Salmon (R-Ariz.) served three terms in the 1990s before stepping aside due to self-imposed term limits; he won a congressional seat more than a decade later, in 2012. 

The situation was different for fellow Arizonan Kirkpatrick. She captured a rural seat in 2008 but was defeated two years later by Flagstaff dentist Paul Gosar, a Republican, in 2010.

After redistricting pulled in more Democratic voters to the 1st District, Gosar fled for the more conservative 4th District next door in 2012, giving Kirkpatrick a narrow path to victory in her old district. 

“I’m a true daughter of the district I represent, and in the past, we’ve had representatives who didn’t have close ties,” she said in an interview. “For me, it’s about representing people in my district in a genuine, honest way.”

In Guinta’s case, he’s faced the same Democratic opponent in the past three election cycles: former Rep. Carol Shea-Porter. While his focus now is on policy matters, he’s also hearing rumors she might challenge him again next year.

“I feel we have a close relationship,” Guinta said in a phone interview from Manchester, N.H., where he served as mayor. “I respect her. She’s put her name on the ballot; she served our state and I respect her for that.”