Texas Rep. Morgan Luttrell announced Thursday that he won’t seek a third term next year, saying the floods that devastated his state earlier this summer led him to conclude that “Texas is where I belong.”
“[Over] the July 4th weekend, standing in floodwaters alongside my neighbors, I had a moment of clarity,’’ the Republican father of two posted on social media. “It reminded me that while the work in Washington is important, my family, my community, and my state need me here – closer to home.”
A retired Navy SEAL who earned two Bronze Stars, Luttrell is in his second term representing the deep-red 8th District, which includes Houston’s northern suburbs and exurbs. In the chamber, he has been an advocate for the use of psychedelic therapy to treat PTSD and has detailed his personal experience with the treatment.
Luttrell serves on House Armed Services, Homeland Security and Veterans’ Affairs committees. He’s been aligned with GOP leadership on the party’s topline issues and has been particularly vocal on national security issues.
While his 2022 campaign for Congress marked his first run for elective office, Luttrell had long been active in Republican politics. He worked in the Department of Energy as a special adviser to former Secretary Rick Perry, who is also a family friend and a mentor.
“Incredibly disappointed, a bit heartbroken but I understand,’’ Florida Republican Rep. Kat Cammack posted on X. “Congress will be worse off without Morgan there.”
In his social media post, Luttrell said he was not leaving public service. “I’m choosing a different path – one that allows me to stay rooted in Texas and focus on the people and places that matter most,’’ he wrote.
Luttrell leaves behind a solidly Republican district, whose lines did not change much in the recent round of redistricting pushed through by Texas lawmakers to help House Republicans keep their majority next year. While the 8th District, under its current lines, would have backed Donald Trump by 34 points last year, he would have carried the redrawn district by a still-comfortable 28 points, according to calculations by Inside Elections.
Luttrell is the second Texas Republican to announce his upcoming departure from the House following fellow Republican Chip Roy’s decision to run for state attorney general. Longtime Democratic Rep. Lloyd Doggett, meanwhile, has said he won’t run for reelection if the courts do not overturn the new GOP-drawn congressional map. Under the new lines, Doggett was drawn into the same Austin-area seat as Democratic colleague Greg Casar.
The post Texas Rep. Morgan Luttrell won’t seek reelection in 2026 appeared first on Roll Call.
