When Congressman Rick Renzi, the Arizona Republican beset by ethics troubles, announced his retirement yesterday, he could very likely have saved the Republicans a House seat next year. The move makes the seat a toss-up. Any race against the embattled Renzi would have given Democrats the edge.

Under pressure from House Minority Leader John Boehner and NRCC chairman Tom Cole, Renzi's decision to step down means Republicans, more than a year out from the election, will be able to recruit a candidate faster than they were able to in Tom DeLay's Texas district or Bob Ney's seat in Ohio.

The retirement was met by cheers from Democrats, who took advantage of Renzi's questionable ethics to continue their assault on the GOP's "culture of corruption," as Democrats call it. Republicans could hardly be upset by the move. "There are retirements that Republicans dread," said House Race Hotline editor Tim Sahd. "This certainly isn't one of them."

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