Well its connected. Candidates are strategic and better quality candidates emerge when the conditions are good for them to win. That's actually 1 of the ways you can tell there isn't a chance in hell the GOP will gain back seats- their own recruitment pool didn't see it happening
In fact- we saw another wave of strategic retirements in the House, albeit a small one bc there aren't that many competitive seats left after the '18 wave. But we still saw them. Hurd in TX 23, King in NY 2. These guys checked out to save themselves the embarrassment of losing- +
the hassle of running w low probability of success. Running for office is so time and labor intensive and so humiliating, its a marvel anyone does it at all & when people don't think they can win bc national tides are against their party- they strategically retire.
