Rep. Ted Poe won't seek re-election

U.S. Rep. Ted Poe, R-Humble, gives the keynote speech during the Celebrate America event on June 25 at Mims Baptist Church in Conroe. U.S. Rep. Ted Poe, R-Humble, gives the keynote speech during the Celebrate America event on June 25 at Mims Baptist Church in Conroe. Photo: Michael Minasi/Houston Chronicle Photo: Michael Minasi/Houston Chronicle Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Rep. Ted Poe won't seek re-election 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

Humble Congressman Ted Poe will not seek re-election, his office announced late Tuesday. The decision not to serve after his term is up in 2019 comes after Poe was treated last year for leukemia.

“Thanks to the good Lord, I’m in good health, but it’s time for the next step,” Poe said in a statement released by his office. “I am looking forward to spending more time in Texas, especially with my 12 grandkids, who have all been born since I was first elected to Congress.”

The announcement, which followed other recent Republicans in not returning after 2018, did not shock most observers.

"Serving in the House is not fun," said Rice University professor Robert Stein, head of Rice's Center for Civic Engagement. "From the plane trips back and forth and then you get to Washington and they're not getting anything done. You went to serve and if you're a conservative or liberal whatever ... it is just hard to do that."

Poe is serving his seventh term representing a sprawling district mostly in eastern and northern Harris County, which sweeps around the city and includes Klein and Montrose. He was the first Republican to represent the 2nd Congressional district.

“I am proud of the work that my office has accomplished: giving crime victims a voice, helping to combat human trafficking, and fighting for our constitutional rights and individual liberty,” Poe said. “I will continue this work every day until I retire at the end of this term.”

GOP officials in Harris County praised Poe.

"Poe led the charge in his effort to protect American taxpayers, as well as introducing legislation to provide justice for victims of human trafficking," Harris County Republican Party Chair Paul Simpson said in a statement.

More Information type

Prior to Congress, Poe spent 22 years as a criminal court judge in Harris County, earning a reputation as a firebrand jurist who came up with elaborate and sometimes demeaning sentences for convicts as opposed to prison time. He called his style "Poetic Justice."

In Washington, he served on the House Judiciary Committee, and the Foreign Affairs Committee, including as chairman of the Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation and Trade.

Poe resigned from the House Freedom Caucus in March, after the group was instrumental in various obstructions and demands that led to a failed attempt to reform the nation's health care system.

"Saying no is easy, leading is hard, but that is what we were elected to do," Poe said at the time.

Poe joins a growing list of Texas Republicans calling it quits. U.S. Reps. Lamar Smith, R-San Antonio, and Jeb Hensarling, R-Dallas, said they would not seek re-election last week. Rep. Sam Johnson, R-Plano, said in January he would leave at the end of 2018.

Stein said Smith and Hensarling, who both held powerful committee positions, faced term limits on their leadership posts and likely felt running again would have been a strain. Poe, meanwhile, may have experienced different headwinds, Stein suggested.

"Clearly, it is taxing to run and the district has changed," Stein said, noting Poe's district included areas of Houston that have dense Democratic voters.

"The real issue is these are open seats and open seats are more vulnerable," Stein added.

Poe had already drawn competition from one Republican and six Democrats, according to filings with the Federal Election Commission. Democrat Todd Litton out-raised Poe in the latest financial filing period, according to the commission and was the only other candidate with more than $10,000 on hand.

"Representative Poe's retirement does not change our values or our mission and we look forward to a vigorous debate about the future of our district with whoever enters the race," Litton said in a statement.

Stein said he expected Republicans to quickly fill the gap.

"It is not a very attractive position for a redistricting year," Stein said, noting the district's boundaries likely will change in 2022 after a 2020 Census. "But I'm sure plenty of Republican state reps or county officials are out there."