GOP Rep. Burgess won’t seek reelection, leaving third Dallas-area seat open

Longtime Rep. Michael Burgess (R-Texas) announced on Monday that he will not seek reelection, leaving the third Dallas-area seat open in the 2024 House elections.

Burgess, 72, was first elected to Congress in 2002, after practicing medicine for nearly three decades. He represents Texas’s 26th Congressional District.

He serves on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, the House Rules Committee and the House Budget Committee.

“It has been the honor of my life to have gone from a small-town doctor delivering babies, with no prior political experience, to elected to represent my friends and neighbors in the United States Congress,” he said. “It is with a satisfied and grateful heart that I announce that I will not be seeking re-election to the United States House of Representatives in 2024.”

“I look forward to serving the remainder of my current term, which concludes in January 2025 by working diligently on behalf of the constituents of the 26th District of Texas,” he said, before thanking his staff and his family.

The statement did not provide any reason for his retirement.

Burgess joins a number of other House members who have recently announced their retirements, including two other members in nearby districts.

Rep. Kay Granger (R-Texas), 80, announced she would retire at the end of her term. She chairs the House Appropriations Committee. Rep. Colin Allred (D-Texas), 40, announced he would forgo another term in the House and instead challenge Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) for his Senate seat.

Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) issued a statement following Burgess’s retirement announcement, saying, “Dr. Burgess has dedicated his life’s work to serving North Texans, first as a healthcare provider and then as a member of Congress,” adding, “For decades, he has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to patients and his constituents, and I wish him and Laura well in their next chapter.”

Updated at 9:30 pm.