Doggett won’t seek reelection to Congress if new district is upheld by courts, paving way for Casar

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Rep. Lloyd Doggett, the dean of Texas’ congressional delegation, announced Thursday he would not run for reelection to his Austin-based seat if a new Republican-drawn map is in effect for the 2026 midterms.

Doggett, 78, has represented his hometown of Austin for over 50 years, in both the Legislature and Congress. First elected to Congress in 1994 — the last year Democrats won a statewide race in Texas — he survived numerous Republican redistricting efforts throughout his tenure as the number of Texas Democrats in Congress dwindled.

In announcing his decision, Doggett is ceding his newly drawn 37th Congressional District, a deep-blue district that encompasses much of Austin, to Rep. Greg Casar. Casar, 36, currently represents the 35th Congressional District, which runs from Austin to San Antonio but is on the verge of being redrawn by Republicans to contain less than 10% of Casar’s current constituency.

Texas Republicans pursued the mid-decade redistricting at the behest of President Donald Trump, crafting new district lines aimed at yielding five more GOP seats in Texas in the 2026 midterms. To do so, Republicans packed as many Democrats into one Austin seat as possible, rather than leaving the city split into two blue districts.

The new 35th District, shifted to San Antonio and its eastern suburbs, would have voted for President Donald Trump by 10 percentage points in 2024. Doggett did not rule out a run in the 35th District; he used to represent San Antonio, and a group of local Democratic leaders encouraged Doggett in an Austin Chronicle op-ed earlier Thursday to use his $6.2 million war chest to run an uphill race for the new seat.

Doggett and Casar had been inching toward a head-to-head primary in recent weeks, with Doggett making the case — privately to supporters, and publicly — that Casar, who is Latino, should run in the majority-Hispanic 35th Congressional District. Casar never addressed the issue publicly, but an email from his chief of staff to supporters made clear that Casar planned to file for reelection in the Austin-based district, where he lives and which includes his former City Council district.

In a Thursday statement, Doggett repeated his argument that Casar should run in the San Antonio seat, but acquiesced nonetheless.

“I had hoped that my commitment to reelection under any circumstances would encourage Congressman Casar to not surrender his winnable district to Trump,” Doggett said. “While his apparent decision is most unfortunate, I prefer to devote the coming months to fighting Trump tyranny and serving Austin rather than waging a struggle with fellow Democrats. If [Trump’s] extreme gerrymandering prevails, I wish Congressman Casar the best.”

With passage in the Texas Senate imminent, the redrawn map is likely to be signed into law soon and challenged by Democratic-aligned groups in court just as quickly. Doggett said that if the “racially gerrymandered Trump map is rejected, as it should be,” then he would continue running in the 37th Congressional District.

Casar moved quickly to coalesce Austin Democrats, launching his campaign for the 37th Congressional District Monday with endorsements from 42 current and former Texas elected officials.

"Now more than ever, we need to unite Travis County Democrats to fight against Trump's gerrymandering and carry that energy all the way through November, where we will not only win this seat, but deliver the turnout that will help propel Democrats in races statewide," Casar said at a launch event Monday. "That's where we're headed. That's what I'm committed to."

Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-San Antonio, said Casar's leadership of the Congressional Progressive Caucus in just his second term demonstrates the energy and charisma he has brought to the party in Washington. Travis County Attorney Delia Garza praised Casar as a fighter. And Austin Mayor Kirk Watson was effusive, calling Casar a champion for the city.

"He brings the people of Austin together," Watson said. "He unites people across our city. And he will continue to speak for all of us when we send him back to Congress."

The prospect of a primary between two progressive Democrats had stirred up mixed feelings among Austin’s political class. Several Democrats had pointed out that Doggett was the first Democrat to call on then-President Joe Biden to drop out after his disastrous June debate performance. But Doggett, known for his successful style of retail politics and sitting on a large fundraising advantage, had been committed to running until Thursday.

His decision eliminates a political headache for House Democratic leadership and fans of both lawmakers in Austin. And it sets Casar, already the chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus in his second term and a rising star on the national political scene, up for a lengthy career representing a district that would have voted for Kamala Harris by 56 percentage points — her biggest margin in all 38 House districts in Texas.

"Lloyd Doggett is an Austin institution," Casar wrote on X, after Doggett announced his decision. "I've learned so much from him. I'm grateful to him. The fight for democracy continues."

Numerous speakers at Casar's rally — including the second-term congressman himself — praised Doggett for his long career representing Austin. Without a competitive primary, local party leaders can focus on helping Democrats in statewide races.

"I just want to personally thank Congressman Doggett for his decades of service, and also acknowledge the decision that he made, which had to be extremely difficult," Texas AFL-CIO President Rick Levy said. "It's statesmanship."

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