John Bogna
Earlier this week, U.S. Representative Gene Green announced he will be hanging it up for good and retiring from politics after this session of Congress.
Videos by Rare
https://twitter.com/RepGeneGreen/status/930530418499219456
RELATED: Another Texas Congressman is Calling it Quits, Leaving an Open Seat for 2018
According to a written statement published on the representative’s Facebook page, Rep. Green is retiring in order to spend more time with his family.
“I think that it is time for me to be more involved in the lives of our children and grandchildren. I have had to miss so many of their activities and after 26 years in Congress it is time to devote more time to my most important job of being a husband, father and grandfather. I and our staff will continue to serve our district until our term is over at the end of 2018.”
According to the announcement, Green held a seat in the United States Congress since 1993, where he currently serves on the House Energy and Commerce Committee overseeing health care.
His decision comes after a string of retirement announcements from the other side of the aisle; it’s common practice to announce one’s retirement before or around the start of candidate filing for the primary election season, according to the Texas Tribune.
This past weekend marked the start date for candidates to file.
Green represents the 29th district, one with a largely Hispanic population in the Houston area; political analysts say they believe the district will be passed on to another Democrat.
“There’s no shortage of strong, ambitious Democrats in that district who have been eyeing that seat for years,” Zac McCrary, who worked on Green’s 2016 reelection campaign, said in an interview. “I imagine the dam will break and we’ll see a lot of strong candidates there.”
RELATED: A Houston Judge is Running for Texas’ Highest Court, but He’s Approaching Uncharted Territory
Congratulations on your retirement, Congressman.
