WASHINGTON — After November’s election, Texas will elect 25 Republicans and 13 Democrats to the U.S. House of Representatives starting in January, the same as this year, but with a number of fresh faces in the delegation. This will include people. The new members visited the capital last month for a 10-day orientation.
The newest members of Texas’ delegation to Congress have already been sworn in. Rep. Erica Carter Lee (D-Houston) won a special election to replace her mother, Sheila Jackson Lee, who passed away this year. She vows to carry on her mother’s legacy of fighting for economic opportunity and dignity.
“There’s a lot of work to do, and I’m honored to work with you to finish what she started,” she said on the House floor this month.
Carter-Lee will only serve until the end of the year. Her successor in the 18th District will be former Houston mayor and former Texas congressman Sylvester Turner, who will be elected for a term.
“I was born in the 18th century, but she did an extraordinary job. I can’t replace her, but I will continue the work. So for me, it’s not just about stepping in. It’s very It’s also personal,” Turner said.
Three of the Lone Star State’s new members are former members of the Texas Legislature.
Turner has served on the Appropriations Committee throughout his 27 years in the Texas Legislature, and he wants to do the same at the national level. He is also keeping an eye on the Transportation Committee and the Homeland Security Committee.
Turner added that serving in a Republican-controlled Congress prepared him for a third-term Republican bid in Washington next year, when Republicans control the White House and both chambers of Congress.
“You fight hard on things that aren’t in the best interests of the people you serve, but at the same time you find a way to get over the political wall, so to speak. We’ve done that in the past,” Turner said. .
“I wish the outcome had been different, but even if it were, I would do everything in my power to address the medical needs, housing needs, and economic issues that are impacting people’s daily lives. “I want to do this for 18 years,” he continued.
Julie Johnson, another freshman Democrat, said she feels the same way. She was elected to the Dallas seat where Rep. Colin Allred (D-Dallas) decided not to run for the Senate. Like Allred, Johnson flipped a Republican-held seat in 2018.
Johnson also made history as the first openly LGBTQ lawmaker to represent Texas in Congress.
“There’s an interesting contrast in that in the Texas Legislature, I’m leading the nation in some kind of anti-LGBT initiatives, and yet Texans elected me to the United States Congress. I think we’re going to send them. I know, but we care about everyone in our state,” Johnson said.
“I’m here to be an advocate for our community and represent us to ensure we achieve full equality. But I’m here to do so much more. I also have to focus on health care, immigration and business issues, which is a big responsibility,” she continued.
Republican state Rep. Craig Goldman of Fort Worth won the 12th Congressional District, which includes western Tarrant County and most of Parker County. Goldman said it was a “bittersweet” decision to leave Congress, but said one of his top priorities in Washington is to build on his accomplishments at the state level.
“I want to pass the federal Molly James Act, the fentanyl bill that passed in Texas. And of course, as someone who represents CD-12, we have to be very cognizant of the defense industry that exists there,” Goldman said.
Goldman added that he hopes the next Republican administration will eliminate the need for Texas to spend so much on Operation Lone Star, a multibillion-dollar state border security initiative.
“I hope this item is repealed and the Texas Legislature can create even more funding and property tax relief for Texans. So border security is certainly a top priority for administration change, and I We’re going to welcome that,” Goldman said.
Another Republican freshman, Brandon Gill, was elected in the 26th Congressional District, which stretches from the northern suburbs of Dallas to Oklahoma. Gill is a political newcomer who is poised to become one of President-elect Donald Trump’s biggest defenders on Capitol Hill.
“He’s the reason I’m here. He’s the reason so many of us are here now,” Gill said.
He won his second election this month and was elected president of the Assembly’s freshman class.
“Listen, I can’t wait to stand here to help my class in the 119th Congress do everything in its power to pass President Trump’s agenda. It will reduce waste, reduce wasteful spending and secure our borders,” Gill said.
“The voters gave President Trump and his policies a mandate, and now it’s our job to carry it out,” he continued.
Two vacancies became possible due to the retirement of long-serving members. Appropriations Committee Chair Kay Granger and Rules Committee Chair Michael Burgess did not seek re-election.
