Shira T. Center

TUCSON, Ariz. — Operatives couldn’t make up a better candidate résumé if they tried: retired Air Force Colonel, first in her class at the U.S. Air War College, the first female fighter pilot in combat who flies the very plane — an A-10 Warthog — that’s economically essential to the 2nd District. At a time when Republicans wrangle with messaging to female voters, this 48-year-old’s spunk and articulate bite is made for television — and unlike anything the House GOP Conference has seen in a while.

Not many Members of Congress boast a framed pair of handcuffs on their wall. But in Rep. Mike Rogers’ Capitol Hill office, the Michigan Republican proudly displays a silver-colored set from one of his successful cases as an FBI agent. Now in this fifth term, Rogers has been tasked with policing another crew. As incumbent retention chairman for the National Republican Congressional Committee, Rogers is charged with ensuring every Member in his party’s diminished ranks returns next Congress.

Longtime Rep. Spencer Bachus, R-Ala., announced on Monday that he will not seek re-election in 2014, according to several local news outlets and a statement from his office. “It has been the greatest privilege imaginable to serve as the representative of the people of Alabama in the United States House of Representatives,” Bachus said in a statement. “It is an honor that I never dreamed could have been possible for me and the words ‘thank you’ are far from adequate.