Doggett won't seek reelection to Congress if new district is upheld by courts, paving way for Casar

Rep. Lloyd Doggett, the dean of Texas’ congressional delegation, announced Thursday he would not run for reelection to his Austin-based seat if a new Republican-drawn map is in effect for the 2026 midterms.

Doggett, 78, has represented his hometown of Austin for over 50 years, in both the Legislature and Congress. First elected to Congress in 1994 — the last year Democrats won a statewide race in Texas — he survived numerous Republican redistricting efforts throughout his tenure as the number of Texas Democrats in Congress dwindled.

In announcing his decision, Doggett is ceding his newly drawn 37th Congressional District, a deep-blue district that encompasses much of Austin, to Rep. Greg Casar. Casar, 36, currently represents the 35th Congressional District, which runs from Austin to San Antonio but is on the verge of being redrawn by Republicans to contain less than 10% of Casar’s current constituency.

Texas Republicans pursued the mid-decade redistricting at the behest of President Donald Trump, crafting new district lines aimed at yielding five more GOP seats in Texas in the 2026 midterms. To do so, Republicans packed as many Democrats into one Austin seat as possible, rather than leaving the city split into two blue districts.

Read more: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/08/21/lloyd-doggett-congress-retire-redistricting-greg-casar-austin/