DEVELOPING: Slim Republican House Majority In Jeopardy As GOP Lawmaker Allegedly Considers Early Retirement

Go to Article

The narrow Republican House majority may take another devastating blow as Rep. Neal Dunn (R-FL) allegedly is considering an early retirement.

The Florida Republican announced last month that he would not seek re-election in the 2026 midterms.

GOP Congressman Announces Retirement

“After much prayerful consideration and discussion with my family, I have decided not to seek re-election to the United States House of Representatives. This will conclude my service after five meaningful terms representing the people of Florida’s Second Congressional District,” Dunn said in a statement.

“The time has come to pass the torch to new conservative leaders, return home to Panama City, and spend more precious time with my family and our beloved grandchildren,” he added.

Mediaite shared further:

Currently, Republicans have the majority in the House by a very narrow margin, 218 to 214, and three seats vacant, meaning any time Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) is facing a party-line vote, he can only afford to lose a single Republican member’s support. Tied votes fail, and there is no tie-breaker for the House like the role Vice President JD Vance serves in the Senate.

In other words, Dunn making an early exit would have repercussions beyond just the representation of his district in the Florida Panhandle, making it all but impossible for Johnson to move any bills forward unless he can win over at least one Democrat while preserving the unanimous support of his caucus.

Schorsch first reported on Tuesday that his reporters were “trying to track down [a] rumor” about Dunn “resigning imminently rather than at [the] end of his term.”

However, a spokesperson for Dunn said the rumor about his potential early retirement did not come from his office.

“Those rumors are not originating from this office,” Eleanor Allison said, according to Florida Politics.

“House Republican leadership believes that Neal Dunn is going to resign by July. I know Dunn is denying it. But the leadership thinks he’s gone in five months,” Punchbowl News founder Jake Sherman commented.

More from Florida Politics:

The comments from Allison were the second conversation with Florida Politics in two days. On Tuesday, a reporter at the office was initially told the Congressman would be unavailable most of the day. When Dunn left the office to go to a House Energy and Commerce Committee meeting, where he serves as Vice Chair and where several personal priorities were up for under consideration in a markup, Florida Politics approached him and asked if he intends to resign early.

But Allison quickly approached, and Dunn referred questions to the Communications Director.

“Ellie is who knows everything here,” he said.

Allison told Florida Politics that Dunn had no plans to resign, and that she had no knowledge of any conversation. She later reiterated the same thing by phone to the Tallahassee Democrat’s Jim Rosica.

But rumors, particularly in Tallahassee, have persisted. Lawmakers close to Dunn have speculated he will resign before the end of his term, and a senior Republican strategist told Florida Politics that Dunn will announce an early retirement next week for a “time certain” that will be before the Midterm.

That could prompt a Special Election even while the 2026 Midterm race is already underway for Dunn’s successor.

Dunn’s health is fueling speculation around his departure. Other sources close to Dunn believe he wants to serve out his term but may be unable to.



Comment on this Article Via Your Disqus Account