WASHINGTON _ Rep. Mac Thornberry is the latest Texas Republican to head for the exits, announcing Monday that he is not running for re-election. The 13-term lawmaker was the top Republican on the House Armed Services Committee.
Thornberry was facing GOP term limits on the committee, having served two previous terms as chairman before the start of the current Congress, where he became the ranking member after Democrats took over the House.
"We are reminded, however, that 'for everything there is a season,' and I believe that the time has come for a change," Thornberry said in a statement. "Therefore, I will not be a candidate for reelection in the 2020 election."
Thornberry is the sixth House Republican from Texas to decide to retire rather than run again in 2020.
The 13th District he represents, which is in the northern part of the state and includes Armarillo, is not expected to be competitive in 2020. President Donald Trump carried the district by 64 points in 2016 and Thornberry won re-election in 2018 by 65 points. Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales rates the 13th District race Solid Republican.
Thornberry was first elected to Congress in 1994 but he wasn't new to politics. He had previously served as chief of staff to two Texas Republican House members and was deputy assistant secretary of State for legislative affairs for President Ronald Reagan.
Thornberry currently only sits on the Armed Services Committee but he has also served on the Intelligence Committee while in Congress. As head of Armed Services, Thornberry advocated for increasing defense spending and shepherded sweeping defense authorizations bills. Thornberry also pushed back on Trump's desire to withdraw troops from Afghanistan and Syria.
