Under his suit and tie, Rep. Jared Golden rocks tattoo sleeves. Since coming to Congress, the Maine Democrat’s collection of body art has expanded — a 2018 campaign ad showed just a handful of pieces on one arm, but now both are covered in tats. He has “too many to count” at this point, he said, but more ink is on the agenda.
“Get a few new tattoos,” he replied when asked about his plans for 2026. “I’ve always got more coming.”
Golden announced in November that he won’t seek reelection, joining a growing group of members looking for the exit door. With less than a year until the midterms, 17 House members so far have said they will retire, not including some who’ve already left and GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who has vowed to resign in January.
Another 26 members have announced runs for other offices. About half of them are running for governor, and Republican Rep. Chip Roy entered the race for Texas attorney general. The other half have launched Senate bids, setting up a potential return to Washington.
So as the clock ticks down on their time in the House, what are they still hoping to do?
Golden emphasized that he would not be running for another elected role. He plans to use his final year to push for his priorities, including restoring collective bargaining rights to federal workers after President Donald Trump stripped them away via executive order. His bill passed the House on Dec. 11, with 20 Republicans joining Democrats in favor.
He rattled off a few more New Year’s resolutions, like advocating for fishermen in his district and trying to extend expiring Affordable Care Act tax credits that have set off a firestorm.
“This is not an exhaustive list,” he said.
As for Rep. David Schweikert, he’s running for governor. The Arizona Republican faces an uphill primary battle against two candidates already endorsed by Trump: fellow Rep. Andy Biggs and Karrin Taylor Robson, a former member of the state’s Board of Regents.
“I did have the conversation with my wife saying, OK, when we made this decision, that we were gonna leave Congress swinging, just as I’ve always been,” Schweikert said. “Even though I’m in a tough district, we’ve never held back what we consider to be the facts and the truth and the math, and I’m gonna continue with that pattern.”
Schweikert says his New Year’s resolution is to keep being “really annoying” to his colleagues and continue raising the alarm about the national debt; he’s known for his weekly floor speeches highlighting how much money the federal government borrows and spends. But in his personal life, he says he wants to be a better dad, which means “being more patient while doing math homework with my fourth grader on FaceTime.”
“My little girl goes to a school called BASIS, which is like a science-math school on steroids,” he said. “It’s brutal. We had three hours of homework the other night.”
Roll Call asked several other departing members about their New Year’s resolutions. Here’s what they said, from getting more sleep to saving democracy.
Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas
To use every minute I have here to protect our democracy from Trump’s drive for tyranny.
Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, D-N.J.
Peace and justice.
Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Texas
Spending more time with my beautiful bride. Hang out and just look at her. Tell her how beautiful she is.
Rep. John W. Rose, R-Tenn.
Probably the most pressing one at the moment is to repeal the current law that allows eight United States senators to soak the taxpayers for millions of dollars because of the misdeeds ostensibly of the Biden Justice Department. So I think that’s going to be one of my real focuses here in the beginning of the year. Hopefully we can turn that around.
Rep. Nydia M. Velázquez, D-N.Y.
I just want to be able to call Hakeem Jeffries Mr. Speaker. I will be campaigning and helping Democrats, because we have a Republican Speaker Johnson who has abdicated his constitutional responsibility to exercise oversight.
Rep. Danny K. Davis, D-Ill.
To make sure that my health is OK. I’m in pretty good shape. I’m 84 years old, and most people 84 years old, they kind of stopped doing things and all of that. And so I’m going to pay as much attention to my personal health as I can so that I’m able to do, hopefully, all of the other things that I want to do.
Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb.
I would like to be more disciplined in my life, working out a little more, eating better. This lifestyle’s been bad, especially if you’re working 14-hour days. I just had a hamburger and fries.
Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García, D-Ill.
Since I just adopted an 8-year-old grandson, how to be an active dad at 69. It means getting in better shape physically, mentally thinking out of the box, trying to figure out what a good parent does in 2026.
Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas
To follow my passions without all the distractions and the noise of Congress, to be healthier and to be happier in my personal life. This is a tough job on your children and your wife, and every time she plans a trip, the votes screw it up. So I’m looking forward to the freedom to do what I want to do and go out on top. … And exercising, not drinking, going to bed earlier and getting up earlier.
Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C.
I’m not the kind of woman who comes up with New Year’s resolutions.
The post They’re ready to leave Congress. But first, they have New Year’s plans appeared first on Roll Call.
