why did so many senators decide to retire in 1996

[freepcrusher]

I've noticed that in 1996 you had a lot of senators, many of them some of the best in the game, that decided to retire. Here are some of them

Claiborne Pell
Mark Hatfield
Sam Nunn
Bennett Johnston
JJ Exon
N.L. Kassebaum
Bill Bradley
Alan Simpson
Bill Cohen
David Pryor
Hal Heflin
Paul Simon

all these guys were very good senators and the place isn't the same without them. Do you think the 94 elections had to do with these guys retiring? I would add though that the senate was, and still is, a much less partisan place than the house.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

They were all about to be outed.

[morgieb]

Quite a few of them were super-veterans, for one, and they probably just had enough.

[Mister Mets]

It might have been the result of the cycles.

In the previous 1990 election, only one incumbent lost, while three Republicans retired, replaced by fellow Republicans.

So by 1996, the overwhelming majority of Senators had been in office for a while. And that's often when retirements occur.

The South was also getting more conservative, which could explain the departures of David Pryor and Sam Nunn.

It's also possible that they weren't eager to work with the Gingrich controlled House.

[Indy Texas]

Claiborne Pell and Mark Hatfield were both getting old.

Nancy Kassebaum was a moderate who probably would have gotten primaried if she stuck around.

Howell Heflin would probably have been good for one more term, but I can't see him or any other Deep South Democrat winning statewide in 2002.