Texas GOP congressman retiring from competitive 2020 seat

SUGAR LAND, Texas – Republican Rep. Pete Olson of Texas says he won’t seek re-election in 2020, giving up his House seat that Democrats were already targeting for next year.

Olson said Thursday he’ll retire after his sixth term to “be a more consistent presence” with family. He narrowly won re-election in 2018 to his suburban Houston district.

Democrats see the seat as winnable next year and have planned to spend heavily. Republicans lost two Texas congressional seats last year and narrowly hung onto to a handful of others.

Olson was among the first GOP lawmakers this month to condemn President Donald Trump’s tweets suggesting that four Democratic congresswomen of colour return to their countries.

Olson called the tweets “not reflective of the values” of his district and urged Trump to disavow the comments.