A Two-Minute Solution to a Serious Democracy Problem
Every so often, I like to check in on the U.S House Press Gallery’s casualty list. It tracks the number of U.S. Representatives who aren’t running for reelection.
So far, that’s 54 members. The AP cut right to the heart of it: that’s 10% of the U.S. House that isn't running for reelection. If you were a gambler, it’s not a bad bet that that number will only tick up.
Let’s put that 10% in context. Rewinding back to roughly this time in 2024, there were 43 House retirement announcements, 42 in 2022, 34 in 2020, and 45 in 2018.
A story is starting to take shape, isn't it?
Now let’s walk across the U.S. Capitol to the Senate. In the world’s most deliberative body, nine Senators - nearly 10% of the Senate - aren’t running again.
Around the same time in 2024, there were seven Senate retirement announcements, six in 2022, four in 2020, and three in 2018.
You wouldn’t be faulted for thinking, “Good riddance to bad rubbish! Don’t let the door hit you on the way out. It’s high time for some fresh blood!" But this casualty list tells a few different stories, and one of them is that some of these politicians are good eggs who got beaten down fighting the good fight. After all, being in Congress is no midsummer picnic.
If you’re a serious legislator, Congress is putting up numbers only a mother could love: 2% of bills pass.
In 2025, the Capitol Police investigated nearly 15,000 “concerning” actions, statements, and behaviors towards Members of Congress, their families, staff, or the Capitol complex. That’s compared to some 9,500 investigations in 2024.
So you’ve got an environment that is not only unproductive, it’s more dangerous now, to boot.
How can we help keep good politicians in the fight? (Which is also part of how future good ones get inspired to run.)
One of the answers lies in a conversation I had with a friend some time ago. He worked for a Member of Congress, and when his boss’s retirement announcement went out, the office was flooded with constituents writing to say Thank you! and Please don’t leave, we’re toast without you.
Where were these notes before the boss’s retirement announcement, my friend wondered? Could more of them have prevented the retirement?
Most any IT director will tell you that nobody calls to say, “Microsoft Office is firing on all cylinders! Keep up the good work.” In other words, it's easy to take politicians doing the work for granted. This bears out when folks say, “There’s no point talking to my politician. They’re good on this.”
But thanking politicians now jacks up the likelihood they’ll still be in the game later. It reminds them the fight is worth it. That their good work does not go unnoticed.
(If you’re reading this and thinking, "But my politician is a total stinker! There’s nothing to thank them for,” keep on reading! There’s a strategic action waiting for you in the last few paragraphs.)
What’s the best way to say thanks?
Gratitude calls
A two-minute call to the district office - you’re more likely to get a real human - during work hours to say thanks for what you're doing. And while you’re at it, you can thank the staffer on the phone for being a public servant when it sure isn’t easy.
In my six years working in Congress, I almost never got a call like that. But if I did, it was like someone pulled the sun out of the sky and handed it to me. I’d call my parents about it, tell friends about it.
Amidst the steady crush of angry calls, these thank you’s were a reminder that the late nights, hair-pulling negotiations, blowback from folks on the other side of an issue were all worth it.
And here’s the other thing: If we’re delighted about something a politician has done, and someone else isn’t, they are much more likely to call than we are. Which can leave politicians with a skewed sense of where their constituents stand.
Gratitude emails
If there’s a specific vote, action, statement you want to say thanks for, call the district office and ask for the email address of the staffer who handles that issue.
Send the staffer a short note of appreciation for what their boss did. If it was a risky vote or stance, it’s powerful to highlight that you know this wasn’t easy, and you appreciate that they stuck their neck out.
Then, I like to sign my name with my town, just to drive home I’m a constituent.
Not only could that email make a staffer’s week, it could incentivize them to encourage their boss to do more of what we thanked them for.
The More Complex Call/Email
You might want to make yourself a cup of tea or strong coffee for this one. Because it can ask a bit more of us.
Let’s say a politician you don’t like does something you do like. Or something that’s at least pointing in the right direction. It’s common to think, “It’s about time” or “I’m not gonna give them any credit for that” or “Yeah, well it doesn’t go far enough.”
I hear you on all of that. But I think we might be leaving a bit of power on the table here.
If we reach out to say thank you, that shows the politician’s office that some constituents do care that they did this good (or good-ish) thing. And that these constituents who care are decent, kind, worth listening to. Which can all incentivize further action of the kind we liked.
Many problems in our democracy are plain old overwhelming to tackle. But the problem of good politicians leaving the game is one that we can help solve. And how terrific is it that with just two minutes and a friendly tone, we could be part of keeping high quality public servants in the fight. Which is essential for a hearty and resilient democracy.