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3h ago

Rep. Michael McCaul Won’t Seek Re‑Election in 2026, Plans National‑Security Role

His retirement takes a seasoned national-security voice out of the Texas delegation.

U.S. Representative Michael McCaul (R-TX) on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., October 11, 2023. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo
Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX) speaks during a press conference with other Republican Senators and Representatives, demanding a trial of Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas following delivery of articles of impeachment to the Senate, Washington, DC, April 16, 2024. (Photo by Allison Bailey / Middle East Images / Middle East Images via AFP) (Photo by ALLISON BAILEY/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)
Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, left, and Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., conduct a news conference in the Capitol Visitor Center after a meeting of the House Republican Conference on Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024.
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Overview

  • McCaul announced on ABC’s This Week that he will not run in 2026 and will serve out his term through January 2027.
  • He is an 11-term congressman who chaired the Homeland Security Committee (2013–2019) and the Foreign Affairs Committee (2023–2025) after a career as a federal prosecutor and counterterrorism official.
  • Texas’ 10th District, stretching from Austin toward the Houston suburbs, remains strongly Republican; he won re-election in 2024 by nearly 30 points despite slight shifts under this year’s mid-decade redistricting.
  • His exit adds to recent GOP departures, including Reps. Morgan Luttrell and Don Bacon, and further erodes Texas Republicans’ seniority as an open seat likely triggers a competitive primary.
  • He has been a leading Republican backer of aid to Ukraine and Israel and a prominent China hawk, and on Sunday he said Russia’s drone incursions into Polish airspace appeared to test NATO’s resolve.