For the second time this week, a Republican Member of Congress has announced that he will not seek another term in office come November 2020.
This GOP House Member happens to hold a seat on the Energy and Commerce Committee, and its Subcommittee on Communications and Technology, the body of Congress that has oversight of the FCC.
Democrats are already salivating.
In a statement released late Thursday, Rep. Pete Olson of Texas explained why he will not seek re-election in 2020.
“For six terms, the voters of our district have placed their faith in me to represent their concerns in the House of Representatives,” Olson said. “The time I have spent working with them and for them has been a tremendous blessing. It is truly impossible to quantify how many inspiring, generous, heroic, and kind-hearted neighbors I have been fortunate to meet, work with, and learn from throughout my time in Congress. But, it has also come at great personal sacrifice to my family.”
While family reasons are what Olson is publicly stating, CBS News notes the timing of Olson’s announcement. Olson spoke out against President Trump with respect to Tweets focused on four left-leaning female Democratic House members, which some are referring to as the “Squad.”
Olson entered Congress in 2008. For Democrats, Olson’s district is “purple,” as demographic shifts have made it more of a toss-up than solidly GOP. His district includes much of southern Houston, as well as most of the city’s southwestern suburbs, including Katy, Pearland, and Sugar Land.
