Rep. Kenny Marchant Becomes Fourth Texas Republican To Announce Retirement In 2020

His statement comes days after Texas GOP Reps. Will Hurd, Pete Olson and Mike Conaway said they will not run for reelection.
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Rep. Kenny Marchant on Monday became the latest Texas Republican lawmaker to announce his congressional retirement, positioning the Lone Star state to become more of a battleground in 2020.

“It is time for me to announce that I will not seek another term as Congressman from the 24th District of Texas,” Marchant said in a statement. “I am looking forward to finishing out my term and then returning to Texas to start a new chapter.

“To my colleagues in Washington, it has been an honor to serve with you and help you serve your constituents, just as you help me serve mine,” he added.

His statement comes days after Texas GOP Reps. Will Hurd, Pete Olson and Mike Conaway said they will not run for reelection.

Marchant, who has served in Congress since 2005, defeated his Democrat opponent Jan McDowell by just 3 points last year.

Democrats flipped two U.S. House seats in Texas in 2018, and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) said earlier this year that it is targeting six Texas lawmakers’ seats ― including Marchant, Olson and Hurd’s ― in 2020.

“Texas is the most important battleground state in 2020,” Texas Democratic Party Chair Gilberto Hinojosa said in a statement in January. “The future of our nation depends on us.”

Outside of Texas, Rep. Paul Mitchell of Michigan, Rep. Martha Roby of Alabama and Rep. Rob Bishop of Utah all have said they won’t be running for reelection next year.

The New York Times first broke news of Marchant’s plans to not seek reelection in 2020 on Sunday evening.

Hayley Miller contributed reporting.

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