Two veteran House Democrats announced Monday that they will not seek reelection as their party faces a tough battle to maintain control of the House in the 2022 midterm elections.

       Reps. David E. Price (D-N.C.) and Mike Doyle (D-Pa.), both of whom have served in Congress for more than two decades, became the second and third senior Democrats in the past week to announce plans to exit, just days after House Budget Committee Chairman John Yarmuth (D-Ky.) announced last week that he would step aside. Four other Democrats have previously said that they plan to retire, while five members facing tough reelection prospects are seeking other offices.

       Price, 81, and Doyle, 68, both represent safe Democratic districts, as does Yarmuth, but the retirements have raised questions about whether veteran lawmakers are heading for the exits because they fear Republicans will win the majority in the next Congress.

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       Both men cited the desire to make way for a younger generation of lawmakers as the reason for their decision.

       “I want to make sure potential candidates have enough time to fundraise and put their platform in front of the voters,” Doyle said. “There are many people who might not consider running if they thought I was going to run, so I want to give them the time and opportunity to do so.”

       Democrats are most worried about lawmakers retiring in competitive districts — a prospect that could become clearer over the next few months after the party sees what kind of agenda it can enact.

       House Democrats have — so far — avoided a wave of retirements that could put their majority in peril

       Redistricting has also worried Democrats in competitive states, most of which have Republican-led state legislatures. Though most maps have yet to be finalized, the expectation is for Democratic-held swing districts to be redrawn in Republicans’ favor or packed with more Democratic voters who may support a more-liberal candidate in the primary.

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       During a news conference announcing his decision, Doyle said he realized that “the time has come to pass the torch to the next generation” after having represented the Pittsburgh area since 1995. He added that redistricting “will change this district,” making it “a good transition time for a new member to start in a newly drawn district.”

       Candidates are already lining up to replace Doyle, with state Rep. Summer Lee, a Black, 33-year-old community organizer, filing a statement of candidacy with the Federal Election Commission on Monday morning.

       Democrats have largely been electing younger, more racially diverse candidates in recent years, including several — such as Reps. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) and Cori Bush (D-Mo.) — who were previously community activists and did not hold political office. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez rattled House Democratic leadership when she defeated Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-N.Y.), chair of the House Democratic Caucus, in a primary ahead of the 2018 midterms.

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       In a statement, Price did not give a specific reason for his departure, simply noting that “it is time for me to retire.” In an interview with Raleigh’s local NBC station, Price indicated that it was right for him to step aside for a younger generation.

       Yarmuth told reporters last week that he was not retiring based on Democrats’ prospects of holding on to the House majority, instead indicating that he was hoping his son would run for his seat in Kentucky’s only Democratic district.

       Reps. Conor Lamb (D-Pa.), Val Demings (D-Fla.) and Tim Ryan (D-Ohio) have all announced runs for the Senate. Rep. Charlie Crist (D-Fla.), who represents a competitive swing district in Pinellas County, is trying again for Florida governor, while Rep. Karen Bass (D-Calif.) is running for mayor of Los Angeles.

       Rep. Ron Kind, a conservative Democrat, says he won’t seek reelection

       Nine Republicans have announced their retirements, six of whom are doing so to seek other offices. House Republicans have sought to portray the Democratic retirements as evidence that the party is scared that it will lose control of the chamber after the midterms.

       “Smart Democrats are fleeing Congress as fast as humanly possible because they know Democrats’ majority is coming to an end,” National Republican Campaign Committee spokesman Mike Berg said in a statement.