Amarillo Republican State Sen. Kel Seliger announced Wednesday evening he has tested positive for the Chinese coronavirus, COVID-19. 
Seliger did not indicate when he contracted the virus, though he said he began exhibiting symptoms earlier in the week. He added that he is complying with “isolation and contact tracing guidelines.”
Seliger has been in the state Senate since 2004. He previously served four terms as the mayor of Amarillo.
He is the second known Texas lawmaker to contract the virus, after State Rep. Tony Tinderholt (R–Arlington) was hospitalized for the virus last month.
At the start of the 2019 legislative session, Seliger was stripped of his committee chairmanship by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick following lewd public comments he made about one of Patrick’s female staffers. The senator is generally regarded as one of the most liberal members of the Republican caucus in the Senate.
