Rep. Loudermilk becomes 29th House Republican to retire, threatening narrow GOP majority
Georgia Republican won't seek seventh term amid Jan. 6 role
🏛️Government🗳️Elections
Rep. 
Barry Loudermilk (R-GA) announced on Feb. 4, 2026, that he won't seek a seventh term, making him the 29th House Republican to announce retirement or not seek reelection in the 2026 cycle.
Twenty-one House Democrats have also announced they won't seek reelection in 2026, bringing the total number of open House seats to at least 50.
Loudermilk was first elected in 2014 as a tea party conservative from Georgia's 11th Congressional District, which Trump won by 23 points in 2024.
Loudermilk leads the House Judiciary select subcommittee investigating the original Jan. 6 select committee. His name appeared in the Jan. 6 committee's final report for leading a Capitol tour on Jan. 5, 2021. Capitol Police found the tour wasn't suspicious.
Other Georgia Republicans leaving Congress include Earl Carter and Mike Collins, who are both running for U.S. Senate, and 
Marjorie Taylor Greene, who resigned her seat earlier this year.
Republicans currently hold a narrow House majority. Open seats are historically harder for the incumbent party to defend because incumbents win reelection at rates above 90%, while open-seat races are far more competitive.
The wave of retirements comes as Republicans face challenging 2026 midterm dynamics. The president's party historically loses House seats in midterm elections, averaging a loss of 26 seats since World War II.
🏛️Government🗳️Elections
People, bills, and sources
Barry Loudermilk
U.S. Representative (R-GA-11), chair of House Judiciary select subcommittee
Mike Johnson
Speaker of the House
Earl Carter
U.S. Representative (R-GA-1)
Mike Collins
U.S. Representative (R-GA-10)
Marjorie Taylor Greene
Former U.S. Representative (R-GA-14)
Bennie Thompson
Former U.S. Representative (D-MS-2), former chair of Jan. 6 select committee