Moderates are more likely than their peers to retire from office, says the University of California, Irvine, political scientist [and assistant political science professor] Danielle Thomsen, and many moderate-leaning politicians—such as those in state legislatures contemplating higher office—are opting not to run in the first place. “They’re tired of feeling like they’re going into battle, day in and day out,” she told me. … This “opting out” by moderates, Thomsen argued, is a driving force of congressional polarization. 
 
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