Last week’s primary elections in Texas led to the ousting of two congressional incumbents, ensuring that at least a dozen of the state’s 38 representatives will not return to the House next year. This marks a significant loss of seniority for a state that has long been a powerful player in Washington.
Four-term Representative Dan Crenshaw, a Republican from Atascocita, was defeated by Steve Toth, a state representative from Conroe. Meanwhile, Republican Tony Gonzales from San Antonio withdrew from his runoff after admitting to an extramarital affair with a staff member who tragically took her own life.
Additionally, a contentious runoff is set between Democratic Representatives Al Green and Christian Menefee from Houston, which will add another departure to the list. This comes on top of the nine incumbents already choosing to retire or leave their roles to pursue other opportunities.
The turnover could increase to 13 if Representative Julie Johnson, a Democrat from Farmers Branch, loses her runoff against Colin Allred, her predecessor. Texas holds 38 seats in Congress, the second highest after California, and one of its Senate seats might also change hands if Attorney General Ken Paxton wins against Republican Senator John Cornyn in a runoff.
Beyond the primaries, at least three House members are facing competitive general election battles that could lead to even more incumbents leaving by the end of the year. Democrats are optimistic about state Representative James Talarico from Austin’s potential to flip the Senate seat in November, regardless of Cornyn’s primary outcome.
This wave of departures follows last year’s GOP-led redistricting, which disrupted many candidates’ plans and prompted retirements across Texas, including that of long-serving Democratic Representatives Lloyd Doggett and Marc Veasey.
With the current number of representatives who are leaving, Texas has already exceeded its previous record of 10 departures in 2018, which included retirements and losses in reelection bids.
Years of Experience
When Donald Trump began his presidency, Texas enjoyed significant influence in Congress, with its House delegation averaging 12 years of experience and chairing seven committees. However, after the 2018 midterms, that median tenure dropped to six years, and further declined to just four years following the 2022 elections.
The median tenure for the upcoming delegation will largely depend on the results of the fall general elections. Should all incumbents who secured their nominations last week win in November, the new delegation’s median tenure will be six years, irrespective of the outcomes in the Green and Johnson runoffs.
However, if Green, who has served for over 20 years, loses to Menefee, the delegation’s seniority will suffer further. Green entered Menefee’s district following a redistricting that shifted his own seat into a Republican stronghold. In the recent primary, Menefee edged out Green by nearly 2,000 votes but did not achieve the necessary 50% to avoid a runoff. A loss for Green would place him alongside Doggett and Veasey as Democratic casualties of the redistricting process.
Green is one of only six House members from Texas who were elected before the Obama administration, with two members, Doggett and Representative Michael McCaul, R-Austin, opting to retire. Representative Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo, is also facing Republican challenges in November.
Retirements
Prior to the March 3 primary, nine representatives had announced their retirements. Since the start of the Trump era nearly a decade ago, a total of 38 Texans have left or announced their departures from the House, with a majority opting for retirement.
The redistricting process influenced Doggett’s decision to retire rather than contest against Representative Greg Casar, D-Austin, while Veasey chose to step down after his district was altered significantly.
Additionally, Representatives Jasmine Crockett, D-Dallas, and Wesley Hunt, R-Houston, are both pursuing U.S. Senate positions, and Representative Chip Roy, R-Austin, is running for Texas Attorney General. Other Republican members, including McCaul, Jodey Arrington, and Troy Nehls, have also contributed to the growing list of retirements.
Nationally, the 2026 election cycle has already matched 2018 for the highest number of House retirements in a single election cycle this century. For Texas, the simultaneous departure of numerous members threatens to dismantle decades of accumulated seniority and influence within Congress.
Committee Assignments
In the congressional landscape, seniority plays a crucial role in gaining power and securing prominent committee assignments. Texas’s representation has diminished from seven House committee chairs during Trump’s first term to just three currently.
From 2017 to 2019, Texas representatives held significant committee leadership positions, including Agriculture, Rules, and Ways and Means, with Representative Kevin Brady spearheading the pivotal Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. Presently, Texas leads only one major committee, the House Budget Committee, chaired by Arrington, who is also retiring. This committee plays a key role in shaping the federal budget and Arrington’s leadership positioned him prominently in discussions surrounding major fiscal legislation.
Texas also retains leadership of two other committees: the Science, Space and Technology Committee, chaired by Representative Brian Babin, R-Woodville, and the Small Business Committee, headed by Representative Roger Williams, R-Willow Park.
Babin and Williams are among only eight Texas incumbents seeking reelection whose tenure predates Trump’s presidency. Others include Republican Representatives Pete Sessions, John Carter, and Randy Weber, alongside Democratic Representatives Joaquin Castro, Cuellar, and Green. All have maintained continuous service, with the exception of Sessions, who lost his seat for a term from 2019 to 2021.
In the Senate, Senator Ted Cruz chairs the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
