Longtime Texas state Sen. Jos Rodrguez of El Paso announces retirement
Texas State Sen. Jos Rodrguez, an El Paso Democrat, announced Friday that he would not seek re-election to the upper chamber in 2020.
Rodrguez made the announcement during a noon-hour news conference at his district office in El Paso. Rodriguez had already informed El Paso colleagues of his decision in a text late Thursday night.
“I started my tenure in the Senate with one of the worst budgets in the state’s modern history,” Rodrguez said during the announcement of his retirement. “Fortunately, my last session was one where state leaders finally gave long overdue attention to our public schools.” (Watch the entire news conference in the video player below.)
Rodrguez was first elected in 2010 to represent Senate District 29. The district, which hugs the Texas-Mexico border, is considered historically Democratic; it covers El Paso, Culberson, Hudspeth, Jeff Davis and Presidio counties.
The senator’s retirement announcement came a day after the Senate Democratic Caucus announced that Rodrguez would step down as chair at the end of the year. State Sen. Carol Alvarado, D-Houston, will replace him at the post.
It’s unclear who all will announce bids for Rodrguez’s seat. One potential candidate could be state Rep. Csar Blanco, a fellow El Paso Democrat who serves as chair of the House Democratic Campaign Committee.
