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- Republican Rep. Will Hurd of Texas, a former undercover CIA officer and the only black Republican in the House of Representatives, announced Thursday that he would pursue other opportunities in the private sector and not seek reelection in 2020.
- "I have made the decision to not seek reelection for the 23rd Congressional District of Texas in order to pursue opportunities outside the halls of Congress to solve problems at the nexus between technology and national security," Hurd said in a statement.
- Hurd has been an outspoken critic of President Donald Trump, often voicing his opposition to his proposed wall on the US-Mexico border.
- Hurd’s district includes around 820 miles of border land between El Paso and San Antonio, and demographic-wise it is 70% Hispanic.
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Republican Rep. Will Hurd of Texas, a former undercover CIA officer and the only black Republican in the House of Representatives, announced Thursday that he would pursue other opportunities in the private sector and not seek reelection in 2020.
"I have made the decision to not seek reelection for the 23rd Congressional District of Texas in order to pursue opportunities outside the halls of Congress to solve problems at the nexus between technology and national security," Hurd said in a statement.
"There were times when it was fun and times when it wasn’t," he added. "When people were mad, it was my job to listen. When people felt hopeless, it was my job to care. When something was broken, it was my job to find out how to fix it."
Read more: Why a GOP congressman who represents more of the border than anyone in Congress opposes Trump’s wall
Hurd has been an outspoken critic of President Donald Trump, often voicing his opposition to his proposed wall on the US-Mexico border. Hurd’s district includes around 820 miles of border land between El Paso and San Antonio and is 70% Hispanic.
Hurd also criticized the tone of some of Trump’s tweets, calling the recent attacks against a group of freshman Democratic lawmakers of color "racist and xenophobic."
He was first elected in 2014 in a tight race against Democratic incumbent Pete Gallego, and he serves on the House Intelligence and Appropriations committees. In 2018, Hurd defeated his Democratic opponent, Gina Ortiz Jones, by 0.5 percentage points, or 926 votes.
After Hurd made his announcement, Jones referenced Hurd’s service in the CIA and said she respected his decision "to serve in a new capacity."
"From San Antonio to Socorro and everywhere in between, Texans are ready for new leadership in Washington and I’m ready to serve," Jones tweeted.
Hurd’s departure marks another vacancy for Texas’ congressional leaders, after Reps. Mike Conaway and Pete Olson announced their own retirements. Hurd and his Texas colleagues joins three other Republican congressional lawmakers from Michigan, Alabama, and Utah, who have recently announced their retirement.
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Source: Business Insider – dchoi@businessinsider.com (David Choi)