• Trump ally becomes sixth Texas Republican to announce departure ahead of 2026 midterm elections
• Nehls cites family focus after thirty years in law enforcement and six years representing district
• Announcement comes nine days before filing deadline and amid historic wave of congressional departures

RICHMOND, TX (TDR) — Representative Troy Nehls announced Saturday he will not seek reelection, becoming the sixth Republican from Texas to announce retirement ahead of the 2026 midterm elections and joining a historic wave of House departures.

Nehls, who has represented Texas’s 22nd Congressional District since 2021, posted the decision to social media after Thanksgiving holiday conversations with his wife and daughters.

“After more than 30 years in law enforcement serving and protecting my community as a police officer, constable, Fort Bend County Sheriff, an Army veteran, and six years representing this district in Congress, I have made the decision to focus on my family and return home after this Congress,” Nehls stated.

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The announcement marks a significant departure for the Richmond Republican, one of Trump’s most vocal supporters in Congress.

Trump Notified Personally

Nehls said he personally called President Donald Trump before making his announcement public. The congressman has been a staunch Trump supporter, famously telling reporters in November 2024 that Republicans all jump three feet high and scratch their heads if Trump says to do so.

Nehls spent thirty years in law enforcement including two terms as Fort Bend County sheriff and twenty-one years in the United States Army Reserve.

Timing Raises Questions

The announcement comes nine days before the December 8 deadline for candidates to file for the 2026 primary ballot, leaving little time for potential successors. The timing also coincides with uncertainty over Texas congressional districts after a federal court blocked the state from using a new map gerrymandered to give Republicans up to five additional seats.

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Under the new lines, Nehls’s 22nd District would retain two-thirds of current residents while adding more residents from Harris County. The Supreme Court is expected to rule soon on the map’s legality.

Historic Congressional Exodus

Nehls joins a growing wave of lawmakers leaving Congress. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene announced earlier this month she would resign in January after a public split with Trump. At least thirty-nine House members and ten senators have announced they will not seek reelection in 2026, making this one of the most active years for congressional departures in over a decade.

Texas Delegation and Republican Concerns

Texas Republicans who have already announced they will not seek reelection include Representatives Wesley Hunt and Chip Roy seeking other offices, and Representatives Jodey Arrington, Morgan Luttrell, and Michael McCaul. The departures create significant uncertainty as Republicans attempt to maintain their slim House majority.

Republican lawmakers have expressed frustration with treatment by the Trump administration and Speaker Mike Johnson’s leadership. An anonymous senior House Republican told Punchbowl News that morale has never been lower and warned more explosive early resignations are coming.

Will the wave of Republican retirements threaten the party’s House majority in the 2026 midterm elections?

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