Rep. Will Hurd, Only Black Republican In House Of Representatives, Won’t Seek Reelection

Rep. Will Hurd (R-Texas), the sole black Republican in the U.S. House of Representatives, announced Thursday that he will not seek reelection. 

In a tweet, he said he wanted “to pursue opportunities outside the halls of Congress to solve problems at the nexus between technology and national security.”

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. https://t.co/GeZ4Hh264f

— Will Hurd (@WillHurd) August 2, 2019

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Hurd’s decision makes him the third GOP House Representative to retire in the past two weeks.

In another Twitter post, he said he will remain in politics to “make sure the Republican Party looks like America.”

I’ve taken a conservative message to places that don’t often hear it. I'm going to say involved in politics to help make sure the Republican Party looks like America.

— Will Hurd (@WillHurd) August 2, 2019

Hurd’s district stretches from San Antonio to El Paso. The districts has also changed multiple times from Republican to Democrat in the last few decades. In 2016, it voted for former First Lady Hillary Clinton (D-New York). 

Hurd was re-elected in 2018 but only won by a narrow margin beating Democrat Gina Ortiz Jones.

Although he is a moderate conservative, he was one of four House Republicans to vote to condemn President Donald Trump for his xenophobic attacks on four freshmen Democrats.

Some Texas lawmakers have suggested that Hurd is retiring because he knows a Democrat will take his seat in 2020. Others like Chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee Rep. Tom Emmer (R-Minnesota) have argued that the district is more Republican and will remain that way.