AUSTIN, Texas (AP) – Republican Texas House Speaker Joe Straus, a powerful moderate voice in the country’s largest conservative state, says he won’t seek re-election for his San Antonio-based seat next year.
Straus made the surprise announcement on his Facebook page and in an email to supporters. He says he came to the decision with his family. His current term expires in December 2018, just before the Legislature next convenes.
Straus opposed many of the top conservative priorities championed by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who oversees the Texas Senate. This session, his chamber was instrumental in blocking the “bathroom bill” targeting transgender students.
_______________________________________________
From the WTAW newsroom:
Shortly after Straus made his announcement, a longtime House member announced he was not running for re-election in 2018.
Representative Byron Cook of Corsicana is finishing his eighth term in a district that covers Navarro, Anderson, Freestone, and Hill counties.
The current chairman of the House state affairs committee and select committee on economic competitiveness posted on his Facebook page he “will pursue other opportunities to serve our great state.”
