Powerful Missouri Republican who leads House transportation committee joins wave of retirements

Republican Rep. Sam Graves of Missouri, chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, announced Friday that he won’t seek reelection, joining a wave of retirements ahead of the midterm elections.

Graves, 62, has represented a solidly GOP and rural northern part of Missouri since 2001. Just last month, he filed for reelection in what would have been a campaign for a 14th term. But he said in a social media post Friday that he’s “making room for the next generation.”

So far, 58 House members are stepping down or running for some other office, putting Congress on track for record turnover.

Graves made his announcement just days before Tuesday’s filing deadline in Missouri for candidates.

“It’s time to pass the torch and allow a new guard of conservative leaders to step forward and chart a path forward for Missourians,” Graves said.

Graves has been at the center of discussions about aviation safety and investigations into the deadly 2025 collision between an airliner and an Army helicopter over the Potomac River.

Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas, a Democrat, was among those to praise Graves. He said the longtime congressman “helped deliver some of our community’s most important projects over the past generation.”

Although Graves’ district is considered safe for Republicans, the party faces headwinds as it tries to maintain control of the House. Polling shows most Americans believe the U.S. military action against Iran has gone too far, and voters are increasingly worried about President Donald Trump’s failure to address affordability issues.

Trump brushed off any concerns at a gathering of Republicans this week and predicted that his party will have larger congressional majorities after November’s elections.