TX-13: Republican Mac Thornberry considering retirement
Longtime GOP Rep. Mac Thornberry, when asked in an interview on Sunday whether he'll run for a 14th term in Congress, said, "I don't know" but promised "a final decision and announcement on that before too long." Thornberry also tried to downplay the recent flurry of Republican retirements from the House, saying "people should not make too much" of the exodus because departing members "may well be replaced by added skills and perspectives that will be good for the party and the country." That sure sounds like someone preparing to offer a defense for quitting.
And there's good reason to think Thornberry will indeed call it a career. As Abby Livingston noted all the way back in November when retirement rumors first cropped up, he's the most senior Republican in the state's congressional delegation (having first won office in the Gingrich wave of 1994), and he's also term-limited as the top Republican on the Armed Services Committee due to party rules.
As Thornberry himself alludes, Texas' filing deadline is Dec. 9, so he doesn't have a whole lot of time left to decide. But even if he does say goodbye, his seat, located in the Texas Panhandle, is guaranteed to stay in GOP hands since it's one of the reddest in the entire country.
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2019/9/9/1883933/-Daily-Kos-Elections-Live-Digest-9-9?t=1568063998357#update-1568063997000