Denton County's Rep. Michael Burgess announced Monday he will not seek reelection to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2024.
After being elected to 11 terms, Burgess, R-Pilot Point, said he's satisfied to give up his seat when his current term concludes in January 2025.
Burgess, now 72, has represented the 26th Congressional District of Texas since 2002. He was a longtime obstetrician before gaining the Republican nomination after an upset victory in the primaries over Scott Armey, the former Denton County judge and son of outgoing congressman Dick Armey.
Burgess’ House district has been redrawn several times since he first took office, and District 26 currently includes a large portion of Denton County, all of Cooke County and parts of Wise and Tarrant counties.
"It has been the honor of my life to have gone from a small-town doctor delivering babies, with no prior political experience, to elected to represent my friends and neighbors in the United States Congress," Burgess said.
Congress' longest-serving doctor, Burgess previously chaired the House Committee on Energy and Commerce's Subcommittee on Health. Burgess led the charge on unwinding Patient Protection and the Affordable Care Act. He promoted vaccination efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Burgess is one of three Dallas-Fort Worth officials to give up their seat. Rep. Kay Granger, a Fort Worth Republican, will retire when her term ends in 2025 after holding her seat since 1997. Rep. Colin Allred, a Dallas Democrat will give up his seat to vie for Sen. Ted Cruz's.
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