Texas Rep. Gary VanDeaver, R-New Boston, announced on Monday that he would not seek reelection to a seventh term in the Texas House.
“I am deeply grateful to the great people of HD1 for the trust you have shown in me,” VanDeaver said in his announcement, adding that he would serve out the rest of his term through January 2027. “While much of my work over the past decade has been with a focus on making Texas better, I have always tried to view that work through the lens of ensuring rural Texas, and especially our little corner here in Northeast Texas, is positioned for the brightest future possible.”
VanDeaver was one of two Republicans in the Texas House to oppose private school vouchers this year, despite intense pressure from Gov. Greg Abbott to fold. Former Speaker Dade Phelan of Beaumont, the only other Republican to vote against vouchers this session, announced in August that he would not seek reelection.
VanDeaver voted against the $1 billion voucher program earlier this year after narrowly beating a pro-voucher primary challenger backed by Abbott in a 2024 runoff election. Abbott had successfully helped oust several anti-voucher Republicans from the House to push the voucher program — his top priority — through the Legislature.
This past session, VanDeaver served as chair of the public health committee, overseeing legislation relating to rural health care services.
He was one of five lawmakers censured by the Texas Republican Party in October for opposing a handful of the state GOP’s legislative priorities and for supporting Speaker Dustin Burrows’ bid for the gavel.
Since his election to the Texas House in 2014, VanDeaver represented House District 1, which covers the rural northeast corner of Texas and includes Bowie, Cass, Lamar, Morris and Red River counties. He is a retired 33-year educator, beginning his career as a vocational agriculture teacher before becoming a principal and then superintendent of the New Boston Independent School District.
Republican businessman Chris Spencer, whom VanDeaver beat by 7 percentage points in a runoff election last year, earlier launched his 2026 campaign for House District 1. On Monday, businessman and rancher Josh Bray, another Republican, announced his bid for the seat.
The candidate filing deadline for the 2026 election is Dec. 8.
