Yesterday, Rep. Bill Owens (D-NY) became the latest Democrat facing a close election to announce he would be retiring. As media outlets have pointed out, this has damaged the Democrats chances of winning back the house:
The Albany Times Union said the retirement has sent Democrats “scrambling” to find a candidate for the seat, while The New York Times has highlighted how the retirement joins those of vulnerable Democrats leaving the House instead of facing re-election:
Mr. Owens is the latest Democrat whose decision to leave Congress may hurt his party’s chances of gaining in the House in November. Democrats have now lost several incumbents in districts where the party is vulnerable to Republican challenges – including one in Utah and one in North Carolina, both of which the Democrats are expected to lose.
“Every time Democrats take a small step forward, it seems as if they are jolted a few steps back,” The Cook Political Report, which analyzes congressional races, said last week. It ranks Mr. Owens’s district as one of only 15 true tossup House districts.
Political handicappers at The Rothenberg Political Report have changed the race’s rating from Democrat Favored to a Tossup.