NEW: Longtime GOP Congressman Announces Retirement

An 11-term Republican congressman announced during an appearance on ABC’s “This Week” that he will not be seeking re-election in next year’s midterm elections cycle.

U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX), who has represented the Lone Star State’s 10th Congressional District since 2005, said it was time for a “new challenge” when announcing that he will be the third House Republican to announce his retirement ahead of the upcoming cycle. He joins Reps. Don Bacon (R-NE) and Morgan Lutrell (R-TX), in addition to 10 House Democrats who have said the same.

On Sunday, ABC’s Martha Raddatz noted that McCaul has long stated that he was inspired to run for office in order to respond to the September 11 attacks.

“Yeah. I was up there in New York for that powerful ceremony. It changed my life and many others. But I became a counterterrorism federal prosecutor within the Justice Department. I entered Congress. I chaired the Homeland Security Committee. I saw the rise of ISIS and the caliphate. as chairman of foreign affairs,” he said. “I saw Afghanistan fall and Putin invade Ukraine and the Middle East on fire. And then the threat from Chairman Xi in China and the Indo -Pacific. These are all issues I’ve, it’s been an honor to serve for over two decades in the Congress.”

Without providing specifics, the congressman said that he will be serving out the remainder of his term, but is ultimately seeking a “new challenge.”

“But I’m looking for a new challenge in the same space that would be national security foreign policy, but just in a different realm. But I want to continue to serve the people of this country in national security and foreign policy and do what I’ve done the last two decades to make America stronger and the world safer.”

McCaul has indeed largely focused on national security affairs during his two decades in Washington. He chaired the House Homeland Security Committee from 2013 through 2019, and later served as the ranking member, and then chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

Under Texas’ current congressional maps, the 10th district encompasses portions of the greater Austin area, as well as a number of Houston suburbs. It is a relatively safe red district with a Cook Partisan Voting Index score of R+10 under the current layout.

This number is expected to rise under the recently passed congressional maps, as the 10th district will be including more rural and exurban areas. In 2024, 55 percent of voters cast their ballots for President Donald Trump. Under the new maps, that number expands to 60 percent.