Sen. Larry Taylor (R-Friendswood) announced he will not seek re-election, and Rep. Mayes Middleton (R-Wallisville) announced he filed for the seat.

Taylor was first elected to the Senate in 2012 following five terms in the House.

“Having the privilege of representing my community in the legislature for nearly two decades has been the biggest honor of my life,” Taylor said in a statement. “However, public service also requires sacrifice. It is a major commitment of time away from family and friends.”

He becomes the fifth senator who has announced plans to not return for 2023. Sen. Dawn Buckingham (R-Lakeway) is running for Land Commissioner. Sens. Eddie Lucio Jr. (D-Brownsville), Jane Nelson (R-Flower Mound) and Kel Seliger (R-Amarillo) are retiring. As of this writing, we have not seen confirmation or announcements that Sens. Carol Alvarado (D-Houston), Bob Hall (R-Edgewood), Nathan Johnson (D-Dallas), Jose Menendez (D-San Antonio), Charles Perry (R-Lubbock) or Beverly Powell (D-Burleson) have filed for re-election.

Middleton’s campaign website has been saying “Coming Soon” for several days, and he announced he filed for the seat within hours of Taylor’s retirement announcement. Middleton is serving his second term in the House after ousting former Rep. Wayne Faircloth (R-Galveston) in the 2018 Republican primary. Middleton’s ability to self-fund, as he did for that 2018 campaign, makes him a formidable early entrant into the race.

Wallisville is outside SD11 as it was redrawn during redistricting, but the bulk of Middleton’s current district lies within the new SD11. Significant portions of districts represented by Reps. Greg Bonnen (R-Friendswood), Briscoe Cain (R-Deer Park), Dennis Paul (R-Houston) and Ed Thompson (R-Pearland) also lie within the new configuration of SD11.

Middleton becomes the 25th House member and 30th legislator elected to the 87th Legislature who have announced plans to not seek re-election in 2022.

Reps. Michelle Beckley (D-Carrollton), Alex Dominguez (D-Brownsville), Phil King (R-Weatherford), Matt Krause (R-Fort Worth), Ina Minjarez (D-San Antonio), Tan Parker (R-Flower Mound), Eddie Rodriguez (D-Austin) and James White (R-Hillister) are seeking other offices. Rep. Celia Israel (D-Austin) is exploring a run for mayor. Reps. Kyle Biedermann (R-Fredericksburg), Garnet Coleman (D-Houston), John Cyrier (R-Lockhart), Joe Deshotel (D-Beaumont), John Frullo (R-Lubbock), Dan Huberty (R-Humble), Lyle Larson (R-San Antonio), Ben Leman (R-Iola), Eddie Lucio III (D-Brownsville), Jim Murphy (R-Houston), Chris Paddie (R-Marshall), Scott Sanford (R-McKinney) and John Turner (D-Dallas) are retiring. Former Rep. Jake Ellzey (R-Waxahachie) is now in Congress, and former Rep. Leo Pacheco (D-San Antonio) resigned.

As of this writing, we have not seen confirmation or announcements that Republican Reps. Ernest Bailes, Cecil Bell Jr., Greg Bonnen, Jeff Cason, Justin Holland, Todd Hunter, Stan Lambert, Brooks Landgraf, Jeff Leach, J.M. Lozano, Andrew Murr, Candy Noble, Matt Schaefer, John Smithee, Lynn Stucky or Steve Toth have filed. Likewise for Democratic Reps. Diego Bernal, Terry Canales, Jessica González, Bobby Guerra, Terry Meza, Eddie Morales Jr., Victoria Neave, Claudia Ordaz Perez, Ana-Maria Ramos, Ron Reynolds, Carl Sherman and Erin Zwiener.

Candidates running in districts located entirely within one county file with their county party official, and almost no county parties are posting candidate lists at this time. Therefore, it is entirely possible that many the names on our “not filed yet” lists have actually filed.

Statewide, Agriculture Comm. Sid Miller (R), Supreme Court Justice Evan Young (R) and two of the three incumbent Court of Criminal Appeals judges up in 2022 do not appear to have filed for re-election yet.

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