Deshotel has served in the Texas House for 23 years, first taking office in 1999.
“After [spending] over half my life in some sort of public service, I need some time to myself and with those I love,” Deshotel said in a statement.
Deshotel, who is engaged and set to be married by the next legislative session, is also expecting his first grandson soon.
“Jefferson County is blessed with many talented young leaders, so there is no shortage of qualified persons to represent District 22,” he added.
After redistricting, House District (HD) 22 remains heavily Democratic, with a Texas Partisan Index rating of D-61%.
Deshotel was ranked the 16th most conservative Democrat in the Texas House during the 87th regular session. During the session, he authored a bill the legislature passed that forbids localities from prohibiting the use of specific resources to generate electricity. It was aimed at such initiatives as the City of Berkley outlawing natural gas use within its jurisdiction and was among the House’s priority slate responding to the February blackouts.
He also vice-chaired the Land & Resource Management Committee and was one of the nearly 60 House Democrats who fled to Washington, D.C. to break quorum and kill the GOP-backed election bill.
Deshotel’s retirement brings the retiring House total to 13 and HD 22 will be the 21st open House seat next year. So far, no candidates have filed for Deshotel’s seat.
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Brad Johnson
Brad Johnson is a senior reporter for The Texan and an Ohio native who graduated from the University of Cincinnati in 2017. He is an avid sports fan who most enjoys watching his favorite teams continue their title drought throughout his cognizant lifetime. In his free time, you may find Brad quoting Monty Python productions and trying to calculate the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow.
