FORT WORTH, Texas — After nearly three decades in the U.S. House of Representatives, U.S. Rep. Kay Granger (R-Fort Worth) says she will not seek re-election.
The 80-year-old Republican is widely-considered the most influential Texan in Congress. Granger said she will finish her current term, which expires in 2024.
"Serving my community has been the greatest honor, and I have always fought to improve the lives of my constituents," she wrote Wednesday in a statement. "I have been able to accomplish more in this life than I could have imagined, and I owe it all to my incredible family, staff, friends, and supporters."
Granger broke a number of gender barriers throughout her political career, which spans four decades. She became the first female mayor of Fort Worth in 1991, the first Republican woman elected to a Texas congressional district in 1997, and the first Republican woman to chair the U.S. House Appropriations committee in 2023.
She is just the fifth person to represent the Texas 12th Congressional District since 1919. The district covers a large portion of Fort Worth, western Tarrant County, and northern Parker County.
Granger also said she is "encouraged" by the next group of leaders in her district.
"It’s time for the next generation to step up and take the mantle and be a strong and fierce representative for the people. "
In Congress, Granger lobbied the federal government to pay for the Central City Flood Control Project that will create Panther Island in downtown Fort Worth. She also pushed for Lockheed Martin's new F-35 fighter jets to be housed at the Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, adjacent the facility where the planes are produced.
"She's been a giant in Fort Worth politics and in Congress," TCU professor of political science James Riddlesperger said. "She is literally the person who holds the purse strings in the country."
Riddlesperger noted Granger's experience in nonpartisan city government likely influenced her behavior in Congress.
"She's a problem-solver to the bottom of her soul," he added. "She's never really cared whether an idea is a Republican idea or a Democratic idea. She's been in favor of good ideas."
Lawmakers Wednesday praised Granger for her approachability.
"She put country and state before her political party," U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo, told WFAA. "She always found a way to solve problems... We're going to miss her."
Cuellar, who serves on Granger's appropriations committee, said the Republican is a staunch defender of the appropriations process.
"She ran her committees in a very fair and civil way, but when she needed to be a school teacher, she would be a school teacher," Cuellar laughed. "She would be stern when she had to be."
Granger's retirement may have surprised some Republicans. People who wish to run for her seat have just 10 days left to file.
Granger is among the Texans who blocked U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, from the speakership. She played an important role whipping votes for Rep. Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana.
Granger said she would spend the rest of her term working "with our new Speaker and my colleagues to advance our conservative agenda and finish the job I was elected to do."
"It was not an accident that she took a stance on Jim Jordan," Riddlesperger added. "He represents the kind of leadership developing in the House of Representatives and the kind of leadership she just finds very uncomfortable."
It's not likely Granger's replacement will assume her reputation for centrism, Riddlesperger said.
More from the Texas Tribune:
Her district was drawn to favor Republicans and will likely stay in the GOP column. She alluded in her statement to the race to succeed her, saying it is time for the "next generation to step up and take the mantle and be a strong and fierce representative for the people. "
Granger won reelection last year with nearly two-thirds of the vote. In 2020, she faced a well-funded primary challenger from her right, Chris Putnam, but won by 16 percentage points.
At least one Republican, John O'Shea, is already running for her seat next year. O'Shea is endorsed by Attorney General Ken Paxton, who is planning to have a high profile in the March primaries after the Senate acquitted him in his September impeachment trial.
Candidate filing for the primary starts Nov. 11 and goes through Dec. 11.
NOTE: The following video was recorded in March 2020