A record number of congressional lawmakers are gearing up to make career changes in 2026.

A growing number of lawmakers in both major parties will not be seeking re-election and are leaving their posts either to run for higher office or to retire from office altogether. Currently, 11 senators and 44 House members have announced that they will be leaving their current posts. Among the current total of 55 members making career moves, 27 are retiring while the rest are running for higher office, including 14 running for governor, 10 of whom are House Republicans, 13 House representatives running for Senate and Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) is running for state attorney general, according to NPR’s tracker.

The moves come as the GOP clings to slim margins in the House and President Donald Trump sees his overall approval rating and his handling of the economy and immigration drop to record lows.

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Notably, many of the record number of House Republicans leaving office have been some of Trump’s strongest supporters.

Midterms historically are challenging for the party in power, and this year’s off-season November election saw a historic electoral blue wave in down-ballot races across the country that spells further trouble for the Republican Party next year.

For some Republicans, the decision not to seek re-election came down to growing frustration with ongoing partisan gridlock in Congress and threats to their families’ safety amid rising political violence across the country.

Among those who fit that bill are Rep. Michael McCaul R-Tx, who is retiring after serving in office for two decades, while sitting as chairman of the House Homeland Security and Foreign Affairs Committees. He explained that working in Congress has become exceedingly difficult over the years.

“The level of partisanship, rancor, vitriolic debate, demonizing the other side of the aisle, not willing to work across the aisle to get good things done for the American people, and just the overall toxic environment,” he told CNN. “And then we are chained to the floor here on votes that will never become law in a lot of cases.”

Another anonymous GOP lawmaker explained to CNN that Congress’s dysfunction can “suck a lot of the life out of you sometimes” despite it being “an amazing honor,” sparking existential frustrations.

For others, their decision not to run for their current post again is because they want to level up their rank.

Among those who are ditching their current position to run for governor are Rep. Tom Tiffany R-Wis. He explained that he believes he will be more effective as a lawmaker as governor than as a representative.

“I just think that I’ll have more impact as a chief executive versus being a legislator,” he told CNN. “The basic question is, where can I do the most good for the people in the state of Wisconsin? And I believe that it is as governor.”