Texas Primaries Show Risks of Leaving Congress for Higher Office

Several members of the Texas congressional delegation made a calculated bet this year: leave their familiar posts in favor of other political pursuits back home. In several high-profile races on Tuesday, that gamble backfired.

Rep. Chip Roy offers one of the clearest examples. The Austin Republican left Congress to run for attorney general but finished second behind state Rep. Mayes Middleton, who has poured personal money into ads branding himself as “MAGA Mayes.” Roy now heads to a May 26 runoff where he must persuade GOP voters he’s the stronger successor to Ken Paxton.

Two other House members made similar bets in the Senate race—and lost.

Rep. Wesley Hunt of Houston and Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Dallas both gave up safe House seats to run for Senate. Hunt conceded Tuesday night after finishing third in the GOP primary. Crockett conceded early Wednesday morning after losing the Democratic nomination to state Rep. James Talarico.

The results offered a lesson that Washington lawmakers often learn the hard way: prominence on Capitol Hill doesn’t guarantee success back home.

Hunt suggested Tuesday night that he’s not done with politics.

“This, this will not be the last time you see my name on a ballot. I can assure you,” he told supporters. Crockett hasn’t said what her next move will be, but in her concession statement Wednesday she urged Democrats to “remain united,” saying she plans to continue working to elect Democrats “up and down the ballot.”

House Churn

The Texas representatives’ departure is part of a broader shift, with more House members seeking other elected positions than any point since at least 1990.

Six other Texas House members also opted not to seek reelection: Democratic Reps. Marc Veasey and Lloyd Doggett, and Republican Reps. Jodey Arrington, Morgan Luttrell, Michael McCaul, and Troy Nehls.

Even running again for the same House seat wasn’t assured, with Rep. Dan Crenshaw of Houston losing the Republican nomination in Texas’ 2nd District to state Rep. Steve Toth, a conservative lawmaker who accused Crenshaw of falling short of President Donald Trump’s MAGA agenda.

Crenshaw stood out in another way: He was the only House Republican seeking reelection Tuesday across the three states holding primaries who did not receive Trump’s endorsement.

The defeat was decisive. Toth led Crenshaw by roughly 15 percentage points as of Wednesday morning.

The loss also reflected Crenshaw’s strained relationship with the party’s right flank. The Houston Republican has drawn criticism from more populist conservatives for his hawkish foreign policy views—particularly his support for Ukraine—and for his frustration with the confrontational tactics of the House Freedom Caucus.

Trump Effect

Trump’s influence loomed over the primaries long before ballots were cast. Last summer, he pressed Texas Republicans to redraw the state’s congressional map in hopes of adding five GOP seats. The new lines scrambled the political landscape, opening doors for challengers while leaving some incumbents on shakier ground.

The retirements and new district lines set off a wave of open-seat contests across Texas, allowing Trump to shape the next generation of Republican lawmakers. He issued endorsements in nearly every GOP congressional primary that party leaders viewed as competitive.

By Wednesday morning, the outline of the next Texas congressional delegation was emerging. Three of the seven primaries to replace retiring members in safe Republican districts had been settled without a runoff.

Crockett, Hunt, and Roy, however, were left contemplating their political futures, with Roy thrust into a runoff campaign, and Crockett and Hunt in need of new gigs.