Texas Congressman Lloyd Doggett has announced he will not seek re-election after the U.S. Supreme Court gave its blessing to a controversial set of GOP-drawn congressional maps. The maps, which have been heavily criticized for their potential to erase up to five Democratic-held seats, were backed by President Donald Trump and approved by the high court this week.
On Friday afternoon, Doggett made his resignation announcement on X (formerly Twitter), just a day after the Supreme Court’s ruling that will now force him into a race with fellow Democrat Rep. Greg Casar in a newly restructured district centered around Austin.
“I am most appreciative for the opportunity to have represented our community in public office for most of the last 50 years — appreciative for the support and encouragement of so many neighbors as well as people from McAllen to San Antonio, from San Marcos to La Grange, who at various times have made my continued service possible — whether in CD10, CD25, CD35, or currently CD37,” Doggett wrote in a statement on X.
While stepping away from his seat, Doggett made it clear that his commitment to his community would not waver in his final year. “I will continue working with the same urgency and determination as if next year were my last, which in public office it will be,” he said. “After that, I will seek new ways to join my neighbors in making a difference in the only town I have ever called home.”
The announcement follows Doggett’s earlier statement in August, where he vowed not to run again if the Supreme Court upheld the new maps. The ruling, which Doggett and many others have criticized as a partisan power grab, solidified his decision.
In his statement, Doggett echoed the concerns of many who argue that the new maps represent a grave threat to democracy. He voiced agreement with Justice Elena Kagan’s blistering dissent, which condemned the court for siding with a gerrymander that could disenfranchise voters and tilt the political scales in favor of Republicans.
“What all of us must do now is redouble our efforts to ensure that the failings in our country brought on by Trump and his enablers do not consume our democracy, replacing it with autocracy,” Doggett said. “It is critical that we not let this moment mark the beginning of the end for our democratic ideals.”
Doggett also aligned himself with the challengers who argued that the new district maps amounted to “racial gerrymandering,” further deepening concerns over voter disenfranchisement in minority communities.
