Not only that, but politicians are very concerned about their legacies, how they will be remembered. And politicians who hold on until the end do not get to manage an important part of their legacies: how they are replaced.

RBG is the prime example of this. If she had retired while Obama could have appointed her successor, she could have seen someone sane carry her seat forward in her last years. Instead, she died knowing that her replacement would probably seek to undo much of what she did.

If this congressman had not run again in 2024, he could have directly endorsed his successor and made sure his constituents were adequately represented throughout. Now Democrats are down a seat until the election to replace him, and his constituents will have to go through someone else if they need help out of Congress.