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Helen Giddings Not Running For Re-Rlection

Marjorie Kamys Cotera for The Texas Tribune
State Rep. Helen Giddings, D-De Soto, speaks during a press conference regarding the "lunch shaming" bill on May 23, 2017.

State Rep. Helen Giddings, D-DeSoto, is retiring from the Texas House after 13 terms. 

"After much prayer, combined with careful and thoughtful deliberation with my family, I have decided not to seek re-election," Giddings said in a statement Tuesday. "This is obviously a difficult decision and one that tugs at my heart."

First elected in 1992, Giddings is the vice chair of the powerful House State Affairs Committee. She also is the chair of the Texas Legislative Black Caucus. 

Giddings' announcement comes over halfway through the candidate filing period for the 2018 primaries. The deadline is Dec. 11.

Giddings' House District 109, which wraps around Dallas to the south, is expected to stay in the Democratic column. One Republican, Casey Littlejohn, was running for the Seat before Giddings' retirement announcement. 

The Texas Tribune provided this story.

Patrick Svitek is a reporter for the Texas Tribune. He previously worked for the Houston Chronicle's Austin bureau. He graduated in 2014 from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism. He originally is from Fort Wayne, Indiana.