Murr announces retirement

Rep. Andrew Murr (TX-53) announced Monday afternoon that he will not be seeking reelection following the completion of his term in 2025.

“This session as your Representative will be my last and I depart with a grateful heart for everything we’ve accomplished,” Murr said in a statement.

The 46-year-old began his tenure as District 53’s state representative in 2015 and will concluded his service in 2025.

Murr most recently was named as the chair who served as managers during Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s impeachment trial in the Texas Senate. Paxton was acquitted of all charges in September.

During his tenure, Murr also served as the vice chair of the Juvenile Justice & Family Issues Committee in 2019-2020, and he was he was the chair of the House Corrections Committee in the 2020-2021 legislative session.

Murr’s full statement was as follows: “To my Fellow Texans in the Hill Country, West Texas and South Texas, “Serving the past five terms as your Representative in the Texas House has been a high honor. During this time, I have logged more than 127,000 driving miles representing a district nearly the size of the State of West Virginia. I’ve taken more than 10,000 votes on the House floor, personally authored 75 bills that passed into law — many directly benefitting our region of Texas, small towns, agriculture, small business and our rural economy — and co-authored or sponsored more than 100 other bills that passed into law. Over the past decade, I’ve drawn on every ounce of work ethic and determination that I acquired from my ranching family roots to represent the values of rural Texas in an increasingly urban and suburban state.

“This session as your Representative will be my last and I depart with a grateful heart for everything we’ve accomplished. Some may ask me, “Why retire now?” That answer is clear. Public service requires sacrifices that too often affect those you love most. For years, my family and I have willingly sacrificed to do the best job possible for you. With four children (ranging in age from 15 years to just 15 months) I’ve missed touchdowns, base hits, school field trips and summer fishing trips. I’ve missed birthdays, first steps, and first words. I’ve missed caring for my kids when they’re sick. My law clients have all too patiently abided the time required for public service. I’ve put ranch work on hold, often to its own detriment, and now — quite literally — cows are calling me home.

“My grandfather, Coke Stevenson, served as a State Representative, Speaker of the Texas House, and eventually Governor of this great state. He once said that 10 years of service in the Texas House was a lifetime in state politics, and I certainly agree. I will look back with fondness on the many policy victories we’ve accomplished to limit liability for ranchers, families and property owners; provide an historic level of resources for border security; enact the nation’s strongest Second Amendment and pro-life protections; achieve substantial election integrity reforms; put more money into Texas classrooms and teacher pay; enshrine the rights of hunters and fishermen in the Texas Constitution; reform Child Protective Services; strengthen penalties for human traffickers; support Texas law enforcement officers; reduce property taxes and place the small business franchise tax on a path to extinction; and the list could go on and on. I have truly been part of a history-making era in the Texas Legislature.

“As some of you may know, over the course of the past year, I’ve also had the unenviable responsibility of leading the General Investigating Committee in the Texas House. When our state Attorney General asked the taxpayers of Texas to pay a $3.3 million bill to settle a lawsuit with several of his former employees, I had a duty to follow the evidence and seek the truth wherever it may lead. Our investigation revealed a level of moral compromise that resulted in the Attorney General’s impeachment. Throughout the ensuing senate trial, no one — not the Attorney General himself, not his high-paid team of trial lawyers — argued his innocence, but that the evidence for impeachment did not rise to the level of removal from office.

“I for one would never accept that low standard. I believe we owe it to ourselves, our institutions of self-government, and the inheritance we leave our children to hold our elected leaders to a higher standard of conduct no matter the political consequences. As our investigation concluded and the right course of action became clear, I prepared myself to endure the personal attacks, threats of political retribution and physical harm, and intimidation that came with holding a powerful person to account for his conduct.

“I want to be very clear that these threats had no bearing on my decision to retire from the Texas House, and I have every confidence that I could continue to represent our district with the same level of integrity and accomplishment you deserve and have come to expect. I take my oath of office seriously, as any public servant should, and I am not willing to compromise my moral and ethical responsibilities for political ease. If I were to do that, I would no longer be worthy of your vote, let alone your trust.

“By the end of my term, I will have spent a decade of my life diligently and thoughtfully representing every person in my district, including those who cannot vote or did not vote for me, and I humbly thank all of you for allowing me to serve. The saddle is ready for the next person to ride point for us in Austin. I still have many opportunities ahead and I intend to remain active in the plans God has for me in the future. Right now, that future includes a wife and kids who need to see more of their husband and dad around the house, at the ballgame, and on the ranch.

“God bless y’all and God Bless Texas.”