New York Republican Rep. Peter King’s departure from Congress after 2020 means that 16 GOP House members are opting against seeking reelection, a slew of retirements that makes his party’s chances of winning back the majority more difficult.
King has represented the south shore of Long Island since 1993 and at times has been among the more centrist House Republicans. In 1998 he opposed impeachment of Democratic President Bill Clinton. But his district in Nassau and Suffolk counties is fertile political ground for House Democrats looking to expand the majority they won a year ago. It only has a slight Republican lean, and though it backed President Trump in 2016 over Hillary Clinton, Democratic presidential candidates have often secured more votes there.
