Less than 24 hours after Republican Rep. Jodey Arrington announced his never-anticipated retirement in 2026, speculation was rampant from Texas' 19th District (Lubbock) to Washington, D.C., over who would succeed the 10-year lawmaker in Congress and as chair of the powerful House Budget Committee.
Arrington, 53, stunned constituents and colleagues Tuesday morning with the announcement on video that "it's time to do what George Washington did, and to ride off into that big, beautiful West Texas sunset, and to live under the laws that I passed."
Under the just-redrawn lines for U.S. House districts in Texas, Arrington's 19th District is untouched and remains the district that gave President Donald Trump his largest margin (52 percentage points) of any in the Lone Star State in 2024.
That means that the Republican primary in March is tantamount to election in the West Texas district that has been firmly in GOP hands since 1984.
With the Dec. 8 filing deadline fast approaching, candidates who want to succeed Arrington will have to move quickly.
One name mentioned soon after Arrington's announcement is that of state Sen. Charles Perry, characterized by former state GOP Chair Tom Pauken as "the best conservative in the entire Senate."
While Perry would be an instant front-runner if he chooses to run, whether he wants to be a freshman congressman at 63 is uncertain.
Assuming Republicans keep the House, Arrington's almost certain heir as Budget Committee chair is its vice chair, Pennsylvania's Lloyd Smucker.
Smucker worked closely with Arrington to secure enactment of Trump's "One, Big, Beautiful Bill"—hailed by the Texan for its investment in defense and border security, as well as tax and budget cuts "as the most consequential piece of legislation in modern history."
John Gizzi is chief political columnist and White House correspondent for Newsmax. For more of his reports, Go Here Now.
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