Full Breakdown
Departing House Republicans Skip Votes, Threatening Speaker’s Agenda
7/13/2026, 8:30:04 PM
Attendance Patterns Among Outgoing GOP Members
House Republicans who have lost primaries or are pursuing other offices have missed far more roll-call votes than their colleagues. The Bloomberg Government analysis shows these members average 60 missed votes out of the 595 votes taken so far in the current Congress, compared with the overall House average of 18. The most frequent absentees are Reps. Nancy Mace (S.C.) and Wesley Hunt (Tex.), each with over 100 missed votes. In contrast, Democrats who are exiting the chamber have missed an average of 31 votes, while all Democrats average 17 missed votes.
Quantitative Snapshot
- Average missed votes for departing Republicans: 60 (overall); 39 for those not returning next year.
- Average missed votes for all House members: 18.
- Six lawmakers (four Republicans, two Democrats) have missed more than 100 votes; examples include Rep. Tom Kean (R-N.J.) with 146 missed votes for health reasons and Rep. Frederica Wilson (D-Fla.) with 155 missed votes after eye surgery.
- Reps. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) and Wesley Hunt each missed 104 and 156 votes respectively before improving attendance.
Leadership Concerns and Official Responses
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has repeatedly urged members to be present during session weeks, emphasizing that “Republicans must be in town and voting when the House is in session,” according to a GOP leadership aide. Johnson’s calculus is critical as he seeks to advance party-line legislation in a narrowly divided chamber and to break recent standoffs with hard-right members.
Criticism of the Absences
Former Rep. Daniel Lipinski (D-Ill.) argues that the pattern reflects a lack of electoral incentive for members who know they are leaving office. He notes that “there’s no electoral incentive to show up to vote for these members who know that they’re leaving.” Lipinski also warns against “quiet quitting,” stressing that representatives “should… be there.” Former Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.) adds that the summer “isn’t all that wonderful… It’s always nicer at home,” suggesting personal comfort may outweigh legislative duties.
Verbatim Quotes
- “It’s not a long commitment, and you should, you should be there. You shouldn’t just quiet quit. But I know that members do.” — Daniel Lipinski, former Rep., D-Ill.
- “There’s no electoral incentive to show up to vote for these members who know that they’re leaving,” — Daniel Lipinski.
- “It’s always nicer at home.” — Fred Upton, former Rep., R-Mich.
- “there will be no attendance issues from me at this point.” — Wesley Hunt, Rep., R-Tex.
