State Rep. James White Not Seeking Re-Election, Leaves Door Open for Statewide Office

On Friday, State Rep. James White (R–Hillister) announced in an interview with KFDM/Fox 4 that he does not plan to run for re-election as the state representative for Texas House District 19.

District 19 is composed of Hardin, Jasper, Newton, Polk, and Tyler counties.

He indicated that he had plans for statewide office but stopped short of giving specifics.

“Don’t be surprised if you see me on the Republican primary ballot for statewide office,” White told KFDM/Fox 4.

White has served as the state representative for six legislative sessions after first being elected in the fall of 2010.

In the 87th Legislative Session, White served as the chairman of the House Homeland Security and Public Safety Committee, where he both authored a version of and helped pass constitutional carry. which ultimately passed the Legislature and is currently awaiting the consideration of Gov. Greg Abbott.

He also previously served as chairman of the House Corrections Committee in both the 86th (2019) and 85th (2017) legislative sessions.

Recently, White voiced his support for a special session where, on top of considering conservative legislative priorities left on the table at the conclusion of the 87th Legislative Session, he also wanted to include property tax relief that had a meaningful impact  for businesses and everyday Texans.

Jeramy Kitchen

Jeramy Kitchen serves as the Capitol Correspondent for Texas Scorecard as well as host of 'This Week in Texas', a show previewing the week ahead in Texas politics. After managing campaigns for conservative legislators across the state, serving as Chief of Staff for multiple conservative state legislators, and serving as Legislative Director for the largest public policy think tank in Texas, Jeramy moved outside of the Austin bubble to focus on bringing transparency to the legislative process.