Texas Republican Troy Nehls has become the latest in a series of GOP members who have announced their resignations from Congress ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
“After more than 30 years in law enforcement serving and protecting my community as a police officer, constable, Fort Bend County Sheriff, an Army veteran, and six years representing this district in Congress, I have made the decision, after conversations with my beautiful bride and my girls over the Thanksgiving holiday, to focus on my family and return home after this Congress,” Nehls wrote in a statement shared on X Saturday.
“Before making this decision, I called President Trump personally to let him know of my plans. President Trump has always been a strong ally for our district and a true friend, and I wanted him to hear it from me first,” he continued. “Serving this country in the military, serving our community in law enforcement, and serving this district in Congress has been the honor of my life. Thank you for your trust, your friendship, and your prayers.”
The news follows Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s announcement that she will leave office in January. In her own statement, Greene said her decision was made following Trump’s attacks on her following her comments about the ongoing investigation into Jeffrey Epstein and the Epstein Files. Trump also announced he would not endorse Greene’s bid for reelection.
“I’ve always represented the common American man and woman as a member of the House of Representatives,” she said in a statement on Nov. 21, “which is why I’ve always been despised in Washington, D.C., and never fit in.”
She added: “Americans are used by the Political Industrial Complex of both political parties, election cycle after election cycle, in order to elect whichever side can convince Americans to hate the other side more. And the results are always the same.”
This summer Nebraska Rep. Don Bacon, whose term runs until January 2027, announced he intends to resign his post, and cited Trump’s peace proposal for Ukraine as an impetus for the decision.
Some have identified the announcements as support for the idea the House could flip in response to next year’s elections. “I think this exercise of going through a shutdown where, you go home to your constituents and you say, ‘Oh, yeah, I can’t do anything, we haven’t been in session for months,’” “The View” co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin said earlier this week. “I wouldn’t be shocked that we could actually see the House majority flip before the midterms actually happen.”
Griffin also said the cause is potentially bigger than Trump. “I think it’s bigger than the Trump factor of it, though there’s tremendous frustration with the White House,” she explained. “Congress feels like all their authority has gone, they don’t have any say in things. But I also think it’s that Republicans see the writing on the wall.”
