Just hours after the Texas Legislature adjourned from the third special legislative session last week, Republican State Rep. Dan Huberty (Humble) announced that he would not be seeking re-election to Texas House District 127.
Huberty has served in the Texas House of Representatives since 2011, having previously served on the Humble ISD school board.
Huberty was rated among the lowest of his Republican colleagues in the Texans for Fiscal Responsibility Index, scoring a 33 out of 100. He was also considered the second most liberal Republican, according to the Rice University Index for 2021.
In the 87th Legislative Session, Huberty supported legislation seeking to expand Medicaid and create an “equity” office within the Texas Department of Health & Human Services. He opposed an amendment that would have protected children from gender modification, a legislative priority of his own political party, and he also voted against a proposed House rule change that would have required the House Speaker to only appoint members of the majority party to chair House committees—ironically then being replaced by a Democrat to chair the powerful House Education Committee only a few weeks later.
Drunken Episode at Texas Capitol
In 2015, Huberty was caught on video as having been visibly intoxicated and confrontational just minutes after leaving the House chamber, cursing at a reporter before being forced away by his staff and DPS officers.
Ironically, two days earlier, Huberty voted in favor of legislation that would have made it illegal for citizens to record conversations with legislators in the Capitol without their consent.
In April of this year, Huberty was arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated after he rear-ended another vehicle while at a stoplight. He then announced that he was seeking treatment and returned to the House shortly after that.
A Legacy of Being Anti-School Choice
Huberty has long been an opponent of school choice efforts in the Legislature, a perennial legislative priority of his own political party.
He served on the House Public Education Committee throughout his entire tenure, including as chairman for both the 85th (2017) and 86th (2019) legislative sessions, and he worked to stifle progress on any legislation providing for school choice.
The Fight on Municipal Annexation
Huberty did support an end to forced municipal annexation in 2019, taking on the likes of organizations like the Texas Municipal League. The legislation enacted a statewide ban, preventing Texas cities from annexing property without the owner’s consent.
On the Way Out
Huberty already had an announced primary challenger in Anthony Dolcefino, former candidate for an at-large position on the Houston City Council. Dolcefino announced shortly after Huberty’s DWI incident earlier this year.
Shortly after his announced departure, former Humble ISD school board member and current Humble City Councilman Charles Cunningham announced he would seek election to the seat as a Republican.
Huberty’s announcement is now one of the 14 total announcements of lawmakers not seeking re-election to the Texas House.
Huberty has long been an opponent of conservative activists’ efforts at the State Capitol. His departure marks an opportunity for conservatives going into the 2022 election cycle.
