U.S. Rep. Gene Green (D-Houston) announced he would not seek re-election. He is the sixth member of Congress to announce plans not to seek re-election.
U.S. Rep. Gene Green
“I have been fortunate to have never lost an election since 1972, and I am confident that I still have the support of my constituents and would be successful if I ran for another term,” Green said in a statement. “After 26 years in Congress, it is time to devote more time to my most important job of being a husband, father and grandfather.”
Nearly three quarters of the district’s voting-age population is Hispanic/Latino. Green’s retirement makes it likely that the heavily Democratic district will elect such a candidate. Green won a contentious primary over former Harris Co. Sheriff Adrian Garcia, 57%-39%, last year, his first contested primary in 20 years. Garcia surprised many observers with his entry into the race on the filing deadline day in December 2015.
The district includes much of southeastern Houston, Galena Park and Pasadena. It also includes a portion of northern Houston and a connecting swath of northeastern Harris Co. Much of Sen. Sylvia Garcia’s (D-Houston) district lies within CD29. Garcia is not up for re-election in 2018, so a potential run for CD29 would not require to leave the Senate. She was one of four candidates Green defeated in the 1992 Democratic primary for an open congressional seat. CD29 also includes significant portions of the districts held today by Reps. Carol Alvarado (D-Houston), Ana Hernandez (D-Houston), Armando Walle (D-Houston), all of whom are up for re-election. Walle is a former aide to Green.
Green was elected to seven terms in the Texas House of Representatives. During that seventh term, he won a 1985 special election to the state Senate, where he served until his 1992 election to Congress.
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