On Wednesday morning, U.S. Rep. Kevin Brady (R-Texas) announced he would not seek re-election.
The declaration comes as Brady was near the end of his term limit as the top Republican on the House Ways and Means Committee, which considers tax law.
Brady stated his intention not to run at the Woodlands Chamber of Commerce Economic Outlook Conference. Originally from South Dakota, Brady got his start in Texas politics running the local chamber of commerce in Montgomery County for 20 years. In 1990, he then won his seat in the Texas House before running for Congress and winning in the 1996 election.
Among his notable achievements was leading the Republican charge to reduce taxes in 2017, a policy backed by former President Trump.
Brady leaves with a rating of 77 from the Club for Growth, and a rating of 64 from FreedomWorks.
The main population center in U.S. House District 8 is Montgomery County and extends into the Piney Woods, both areas being Republican strongholds. There will likely be many running to replace Brady, but the district will not be competitive for Democrats (Brady never won with less than 59 percent of the vote, and Trump carried the district with a 42-point lead over Biden).
He is not the only Texas congressman to decide against seeking re-election so far. U.S. Rep. Filemon Vela (D-Texas) from Brownsville also stated his intention to retire from Congress.
