Two members of Texas' congressional delegation have announced that they will not seek reelection next year. Michael Burgess, an 11-term congressman representing suburban Dallas-Fort Worth, and fellow Republican Pat Fallon, first elected in 2020, made their respective announcements Monday evening.
Burgess occupies a senior position on the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
The Texas Tribune reports on the longtime lawmaker's retirement:
Burgess, 72, first won the seat in 2002 after House Majority Leader Dick Armey, who had held it since the mid-1980s, retired — defeating Armey's son for the seat. Burgess has since held the comfortably Republican seat in the Dallas-Fort Worth suburbs without facing serious competition.
An obstetrician by trade and Congress' longest-serving doctor, Burgess emerged as a key GOP voice on health care issues.
Burgess — who once chaired the House Committee on Energy and Commerce's Subcommittee on Health — comes from a family of physicians who left Canada to the United States to avoid that country's health care system. During the Obama administration, Burgess was a staunch critic of Democratic efforts to reform the U.S. health care system. During the Trump administration, Burgess became a crucial figure in GOP efforts to unwind the landmark Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, known as “Obamacare.”
Fallon, 55, submitted his candidate paperwork on Monday to run for his former seat in the Texas Senate. Fallon's congressional seat includes a number of Dallas' outer suburbs.
As per the Tribune, Fallon offered an explanation for the unusual move:
“At the end of the day, the decision came down to, If we lose Texas, we lose the nation,” Fallon said in a brief interview. “It's just terribly important to ensure that Texas has written a great success story and I want to keep moving that forward.”
Fallon described his time in the Texas Senate as “the best two years I ever spent” in politics.
The two retirements mean there will be four open races in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex.
Rep. Kay Granger, who chairs the powerful Appropriations Committee, announced her retirement last month. Granger, 80, would have almost certainly lost her gavel following the 2024 elections, owing to the GOP's term limits on committee chairs. Collin Allred (D), representing central Dallas, announced his candidacy for the 2024 United States Senate election in Texas on May 3.
Following the redistricting process, it's unlikely that any of the seats in question will change parties.
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