Texas Rep. Flores says he won’t seek reelection

Texas Rep. Bill Flores will not seek reelection in 2020, becoming the latest Republican to retire from the increasingly competitive state.

Flores, who rode the 2010 tea party wave to Congress, serves on the powerful House Energy and Commerce Committee and is a former chairman of the Republican Study Committee.

“When I originally announced that I was running for Congress in 2009, I was firm in my commitment that I would run for six or fewer terms,” Flores, 65, announced in a statement on Wednesday. “After much prayer over the past few days and following conversations with my wife, Gina, during that time, I have decided that my current term will be my last.”

His solidly Republican district includes Waco and the northern Austin suburbs and is home to two major universities: Texas A&M and Baylor. While Flores beat his Democratic opponent by 15 percentage points last year, changing demographics in the state — and especially in the suburbs — have made a number of races in Texas more competitive.

Flores joins a growing list of Texas Republicans who have decided to head for the exits instead of duking it out for another term. GOP Reps. Will Hurd, Pete Olson and Kenny Marchant, who were facing some of the toughest reelection battles in the state, have all called it quits.

And veteran Rep. Mike Conaway, who is term-limited in leading Republicans on the House Agriculture Committee, announced his retirement earlier this summer. While he represents a ruby-red district in central Texas and could have easily won reelection, Republicans — who have been relegated to the minority for the first time in eight years — likely face an uphill climb in winning back the House.

More GOP lawmakers could announce their retirements after the August recess, during which members have spent the past few weeks at home with their families and constituents.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee sees Texas as especially ripe for pickups. The DCCC opened an office in Austin in April and put six Republicans in the state on its 2020 target list, though Flores is not one of them.

Flores said he intends to spend more time with his family and “resume business activities in the private sector” after he leaves Congress. Prior to being elected to the House, Flores worked for a top accounting firm and spent 30 years in the oil and gas business, including serving as president and CEO of Phoenix Exploration Co.

By MELANIE ZANONA

Source: politico.com

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