Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-TX) on Friday revealed that he will forgo a bid for reelection, putting to rest questions about his future that were triggered after Texas’s political maps were redrawn this year. “I will continue working with the same urgency and determination as if next year were my last, which in public office it will be,” Doggett said in a press release announcing his retirement. “After that, I will seek new ways to join my neighbors in making a difference in the only town I have ever called home.” Doggett has served in Congress since 1995. But the longtime Texas lawmaker suggested he would retire after state Republicans led redistricting efforts to boost the GOP’s power in the House. Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) signed the new maps into law in September, a move that changed the boundaries of Doggett’s district and led him to announce that his current term would be his last unless courts ruled the new map unlawful.

When a federal court blocked the maps in November, Doggett’s political future appeared to have been resurrected.

“To borrow from Mark Twain, the reports of my death, politically, are greatly exaggerated,” the Democrat said, suggesting he’d pull his retirement plans.

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Tagged: Politics BACK TO HOMEPAGE