U.S. Rep. Mike Conaway, R-Texas, will not seek re-election in 2020, the congressman announced on July 31.
Conaway presently serves as the ranking member of the House Agriculture Committee, having previously served two congressional terms as the chairman, until the Democrats took control of the House after the 2018 election. Following that election, Conaway and Rep. Collin Peterson, D-Minnesota, the previous ranking member, reversed roles.
Rep. Frank Lucas, R-Oklahoma, preceded Conaway as the chairman, but Lucas stepped down at the end of 2015 because of term limit rules.
Conaway, who has been a member of the House of Representatives since 2005, said his decision to retire was influenced by his desire to spend more time with his wife, Suzanne, their children and their grandchildren.
“Representing the people of the 11th District of Texas has been an honor and privilege that I cannot adequately describe,” Conaway said in a statement. “This chapter in our lives has been more fulfilling than I could ever have imagined. But all things come to an end point, and my 8th term will be mine. I will fulfill my duties to the 11th District by serving the rest of the term.
As agriculture committee chairman, Conaway played a major role in the passage of the 2018 farm bill.
Other retirements
With Conaway’s announcement, he becomes the fifth House Republican to reveal retirement plans within the past several weeks. Making similar announcements, according to Politico, were Reps. Paul Mitchell, Martha Roby, Pet Olson and Rob Bishop.
Earlier in 2019, Sen. Pat Roberts, chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, announced that he would also not seek re-election in 2020. Roberts, R-Kansas, was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 1996, after representing the Sunflower State in the House since his election in 1980. Roberts also previously served as the chairman of the House Agriculture Committee.
