WASHINGTON–There have been numerous forecasts and reporting in the media about the turnover expected in Congress in the 2026 mid-term elections, including both elected officials opting not to run for reelection to predictions Democrats will win back control of Congress. But one person says there’s nothing unusual about any of that.
In response to a question from the CU Daily during a press call, America’s Credit Unions’President and CEO Scott Simpson reminded that despite all the attention potential turnover in Congress is receiving, it’s really just a “garden variety” state of events.
“There’s a huge portion of the of the Congress that turns over every election cycle. It’s ongoing,” said Simpson.
Quick Road to Leadership
Simpson shared that he recently attended a dinner at which French Hill (R-AR), chair of the House Committee on Financial Services, was present, where how he observed that in his short tenure in Congress—Hill was first elected in 2014—he had seen massive turnover, which had allowed him to quickly gain seniority.
“For a lot of folks, they ring that alarm bell every election cycle as though it’s surprising and yet it happens every election cycle,” Simpson said. “So, for our team at America’s Credit Unions, it’s what we do every election cycle, it’s what’s great about this system. Young politicians grow up to be old politicians. Little politicians grow up to be big politicians. We’ve been developing relationships (with members of) water boards and school boards and so on, trying to get in front of these relationships from the very beginning.”
A Tennis Lesson
As an example, Simpson shared how Brett Martinez, president of Redwood Credit Union in Santa Rosa, Calif., got to know a young local political leader by playing tennis with him. That local leader, Mike McGuire, recently stepped down as president pro tempore of the California Assembly and is expected to run for a new congressional seat. But while serving as president pro tempore, Martinez worked with McGuire on the response to wildfires and other issues, creating a good relationship and understanding of credit unions.
“This is what the system is built on,” said Simpson. “There’s a lot of churn but it creates enormous opportunities.”
