Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, announced Sunday that he does not plan to seek re-election in 2026 after serving in Congress for two decades.
“It’s been an honor to serve for over two decades in the Congress,” McCaul said in an interview on ABC News’ “This Week.” “I’m looking now for a new challenge.”
McCaul said he plans to serve out the remainder of his term and intends to work on national security and foreign policy issues in a different capacity.
“I’m looking for a new challenge in the same space, that would be national security and foreign policy, but just in a different realm,” he said.
He did not go into further detail on his next steps.
McCaul focused much of his congressional career on national security and foreign policy, having previously served as the chairman of both the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the House Homeland Security Committee.
Before his career on the Hill, McCaul served in a Justice Department counterterrorism role and was previously the Texas deputy attorney general.
“I want to continue to serve the people of this country in national security and foreign policy, and do what I’ve done the last two decades: Make America stronger and the world safer,” he said on ABC News.
McCaul’s district has skewed deep red, and his recent margin of victory indicates it would be an uphill battle for a Democrat to flip the seat. McCaul easily won re-election last year in his district, which spans an area near Houston and Austin, winning 63.6% of the vote. He was first sworn in to office in 2005.
McCaul’s is the latest in a slew of lawmakers announcing that they will not seek re-election.
More than a dozen Republicans will not seek re-election to their current seats, though some House members may return to the Hill if they win their Senate races. Nearly a dozen Democrats are also not running for their same seats.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
