High-Ranking Democrat Announces Retirement – Soulfy

Hoyer has been in Congress for 45 years, making him the longest-serving House member in Maryland history, according to his biography.

He said that the chamber had changed a lot since he first came there more than 40 years ago.

“The Congress I entered in 1981 was somewhat different,” Hoyer said. “Most Republicans and Democrats worked together in a collegial, productive way. The leaders of the House, Tip O’Neill and Bob Michael, fostered that environment. It was, of course, not a Congress without conflict.”

“I fear that America is heading not toward greatness, but toward smallness, pettiness, divisiveness, and loneliness,” he added.

A recent poll from the Napolitan News Service, conducted online by Scott Rasmussen with fieldwork by RMG Research, Inc., found Republicans leading Democrats by four percentage points on the generic congressional ballot.

The survey focused primarily on voter preferences ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.

“If the election were held today, would you vote for the Republican from your district or the Democrat from your district?” respondents were asked.

The poll also examined voter enthusiasm, policy priorities and demographic factors that may influence turnout, though full cross-tabulated results were not publicly released.

Among registered voters surveyed, 45 percent said they would support the Republican candidate in their district, while 41 percent said they would vote for the Democratic candidate, giving Republicans a four-point advantage.

When independent “leaners” were included, the margin remained the same, with Republicans at 48 percent and Democrats at 44 percent.

The results mark a slight expansion of the GOP’s advantage compared with September 2025, when Republicans held a narrower 46–45 percent lead including leaners.

Republicans have led the generic ballot in most months of 2025, with Democrats posting modest advantages in April and May and the two parties tied at 47 percent each in August.