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A record number of Texans are leaving Congress, further diminishing the state's clout on Capitol Hill.

Embattled U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales' decision not to seek re-election, coupled with U.S. Rep. Dan Crenshaw's shocking primary defeat, now assures Texas will have lost at least 12 members of the U.S. House from the start of 2025 going into next year.

And another five could join that list depending on how runoff elections and hot general election battles play out.

The previous Texas record was in 2018 when 10 members quit, ran for other offices or were defeated for reelection.

This year, some have sought higher office, others are just calling it quits, and some have been essentially redistricted out by the Texas Legislature. In total since the start of 2025, eight Republicans and three Democrats have announced they are leaving Congress. And U.S. Rep. Sylvester Turner, D-Houston, died in office a year ago.

Regardless of the reason, about one-third of the delegation is certain to turn over. And that could get to over 40% by the time November hits. That's even more shocking if you look at Texas history, where the state often went decades with incumbents not budging. For example, in the 10 years prior to 2018, Texas had just 10 members of the House retire or get defeated in total.

The exodus has a consequence for Texas on both sides of the aisle. Seniority is essential currency on Capitol Hill and can decide committee assignments, who speaks when on those committees, whose bill gets voted on and even who gets what office space.

U.S. Rep. Jodey Arrington, R-Lubbock, chairman of the House Budget Committee, and U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Austin, former chairman of House Foreign Affairs, are two key losses. But so two are Reps. Marc Veasey, D-Fort Worth, and Crenshaw, who were both growing seniority on the powerful House Commerce Committee, which has broad jurisdiction over everything from health care to the oil industry.

And on the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, Texas is losing Arrington and U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Austin, who is the second-most senior Democrat on the committee.

The exodus on the Republican side is a bad omen for the GOP. When members in the majority think they could be in the minority in the next midterm, retirements typically pile up. Congress is simply a lot less fun when members are in the minority and have no control over the agenda. So far 35 Republicans and 23 Democrats nationwide have left Congress or won't be seeking re-election since the start of 2025.

Programming Note: I'll be off all of next week, recovering from a crazy primary season. But don't worry, my colleagues will keep you up to date on all the Texas political news until I return on March 16.

Jeremy Wallace, Texas politics reporter

jeremy.wallace@houstonchronicle.com

Who's Up, Who's Down

A daily stock market-style report on key players in Texas politics.

Up: Brandon Herrera.

The firearms manufacturer and YouTuber known online as "The AK Guy," is suddenly the favorite to be a member of Congress. That comes after U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-San Antonio, announced he was dropping his reelection bid and pulling out of a runoff election against Herrera. Under Texas election law, Gonzales' exit means there will be no runoff, and Herrera will advance to the November general election as the Republican nominee. Reporter Bayliss Wagner has more on Herrera in her latest story.

Down: Ken Paxton.

His declaration that he will never drop out of the Senate race, even if President Donald Trump asked him to, didn't go over well with his one-time golf buddy. "That's bad for him to say," Trump told Politico. "That is bad for him. So maybe, maybe that leads me to go the other direction." It's even more critical when you consider Paxton's whole campaign hinges on convincing voters he's more loyal to Trump than U.S. Sen. John Cornyn has been. Trump has said he will soon endorse in the Senate runoff election and expects the other candidate to drop out. Trump didn't say who he was leaning toward, but speculation has been swirling that Cornyn could be the beneficiary.

What do you think? Hit reply and let me know.

What else is going on in Texas

Which counties saw stronger Democratic or Republican turnout in the senate primary?

Photo by: Taylor Nichols

Map: See where Texas Democrats outvoted Republicans in Tuesday's election

More than 2.3 million Democrats, or 12.4% of registered voters, turned out to vote in the U.S. Senate race between Jasmine Crockett and James Talarico.

BIG BEND NATIONAL PARK, TEXAS - JANUARY 27: The Rio Grande flows through Big Bend National Park on January 27, 2023 in West, Texas. The Rio Grande, which has suffered from record drought conditions and a growing population along the Southern border, supplies water to more than six million people in the U.S. and Mexico. Texas and New Mexico, which have long battled over allocation from the river, have recently come to an agreement that will be considered by the U.S. Supreme Court but is opposed by the federal government. Mexico's allotment is not affected by the agreement. (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

Photo by: Brandon Bell, Getty Images

Trump admin may reverse course on Big Bend border wall

U.S. Customs and Border Protection has updated a border wall map on its website to show a large section of the U.S.-Mexico border around Big Bend is slated for a "detection technology" project.

FILE - Construction workers install a lumber roof at a new home build Tuesday, April 1, 2025, in Laveen, Ariz.

Photo by: Ross D. Franklin, AP

The US lost a surprising 92,000 jobs last month as the unemployment ticked up

The news comes a week after President Trump was in Texas touting the nation's economy and low gas prices, which have skyrocketed since the attack on Iran.

Texas Comptroller Kelly Hancock and his wife Robin Hancock tours Cornerstone Christian Schools Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026, San Antonio. Part of the statewide launch of the Texas Education Freedom Accounts (TEFA) program.

Photo by: Andrew J. Whitaker, San Antonio Express-News

Texas' school voucher lottery may fill up before getting to high-income families

With over 150,000 applications this week, Texas' Acting Comptroller Kelly Hancock says the school voucher lottery may fill up before it reaches the last tier.

U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, speaks to the press, acknowledging he will face a run-off with Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in the race for U.S. Senate after the Texas Republican primary election, March 3, 2026 at the Austin Marriott Downtown in Austin, Texas.

Photo by: Sara Diggins, Austin American-Statesman

Crockett, Cornyn, Paxton? See how your neighbor voted.

See where in Texas John Cornyn, Ken Paxton, Jasmine Crockett and James Talarico found their edge in the GOP and Democratic primaries for Texas' U.S. Senate seat.

A screenshot from the Texas Take podcast

Photo by: Houston Chronicle

Am I exhausted after a long election week? You bet. But thanks to an all-star cast, we just dropped a new episode of the Texas Take Podcast including a video version on YouTube. Gromer Jeffers of the Dallas Morning News, John Moritz of the Austin American-Statesman and Bayliss Wagner of the San Antonio Express-News all joined me in breaking down all the big primary election battles, the latest on Tony Gonzales and what made President Donald Trump's visit to Corpus Christi so perplexing.

What else I'm reading

Pro-gambling interests came up short in GOP primary elections this week. Paul Cobler at the Texas Tribune reports that Republican state Reps. David Lowe, Terri Leo-Wilson, Mark Dorazio and Andy Hopper, all gambling opponents, defeated primary challengers backed by billionaire Miriam Adelson's Las Vegas Sands casino empire.