WASHINGTON, May 4 (UPI) -- Most of the 13 U.S. House of Representatives members seeking higher office are Republicans, potentially harming GOP rebuilding efforts there, analysts say.
Because open seats are harder for incumbent parties to defend, the Republicans' plans may cause further problems for a GOP struggling to win back House seats after losing the White House and more ground in Congress last year, USA Today reported.
The departing House members are seeking either U.S. Senate spots or statewide offices such as governor.
"The Republicans have taken terrible beatings over the last four years, and 2010 is shaping up to be another good Democratic year," Cal Jillson, a political scientist at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, told USA Today, adding that GOP House members "are casting about for anything that looks better than what they have."
A big draw for the Republicans are many more open gubernatorial offices, with 38 of them to come open between now and November 2010, compared with only 11 in the past year, the newspaper said.
