Rep. Loudermilk becomes 29th House Republican to retire, threatening narrow GOP majority

Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-GA) announced on Feb. 4, 2026, that he won't seek a seventh term in Congress, making him the 29th House Republican to announce retirement or decision not to seek reelection in the 2026 cycle. Twenty-one House Democrats have also announced they won't seek reelection. Loudermilk, first elected in 2014 as a tea party conservative, became a Trump ally and chairs the Select Subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee investigating the original Jan. 6 select committee. His name appeared in the Jan. 6 select committee's final report for leading a tour of the Capitol complex on Jan. 5, 2021, though Capitol Police found the tour wasn't suspicious. His district, GA-11, went for Trump by 22 points in 2024 (60.1% to 38.2%). Other Georgia Republicans leaving Congress include Earl Carter and Mike Collins, who are both running for Senate, and Marjorie Taylor Greene, who resigned her seat in January 2026 after breaking with Trump.