U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Austin, will not seek reelection in 2026 after serving his 11th term in Congress.
The former chair of the powerful House Foreign Affairs and Homeland Security committees announced the decision Sunday, saying that he is looking for a new challenge in the same policy space.
“My father’s service in World War II inspired me to pursue a life of public service, with a focus on defending our great nation against global threats, and I have been proud to carry out that mission in Congress for more than two decades,” he said in a news release. “I am ready for a new challenge in 2027 and look forward to continuing to serve my country in the national security and foreign policy realm.”
During his time in Congress, McCaul has focused extensively on these issues, having chaired the homeland security panel from 2013 to 2019 as well as the wide-ranging foreign affairs committee from 2023 to 2025. He also served as the chair of the House China Task Force.
With McCaul’s departure, Texas Republicans will see a loss of seniority, continuing a decline of their influence in the House. His announcement came just days after U.S. Rep. Morgan Luttrell, R-Magnolia, said that he will not run for reelection.
Having first been elected in 2004, McCaul is one of the longest-tenured Texas Republicans currently in Congress. Only U.S. Rep. John Carter, R-Round Rock, was elected earlier — one of just four Republicans other than McCaul whose time in Congress predates President Donald Trump’s first term.
McCaul’s 10th Congressional District currently covers a slice of Travis County; all of Brazos County, including Bryan and College Station; and 11 other mostly rural counties between Austin and Houston.
The new lines crafted by Texas Republicans this summer will concentrate more of the district in deep-blue Austin while likely still keeping it under GOP control. Had the new boundaries existed in 2024, Donald Trump would have carried the district with 60.5% of the vote, to Democrat Kamala Harris’ 37.9%.
McCaul’s retirement means a trio of congressional districts in Central Texas are now wide open for local Republicans eying a move to Washington.
Besides McCaul’s retirement, U.S. Rep Chip Roy, R-Austin, has jumped into the crowded primary race to replace Ken Paxton as Texas attorney general, leaving vacant his 21st Congressional District that stretches west of Austin.
At the same time, the recent redistricting effort significantly redrew the 35th Congressional District to cover parts of San Antonio and outlying eastern areas in Bexar, Guadalupe, Wilson and Karnes counties. The district, which now favors Republicans and would have gone for Trump by a 10-point margin in 2024, has seen significant interest.
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