State Rep. Dwayne Bohac, R-Houston, announced Wednesday he is not seeking reelection.

Bohac won reelection last year by just 47 votes, and his retirement gives Democrats a ripe pickup opportunity as they push to flip the House in 2020.

“It is time for me to focus on my family, new callings in my life, and allow someone else the opportunity to have the honor to represent our community in the Texas Legislature,” Bohac said in a statement.

Bohac has served in the House since 2003.

Democrats are 10 seats removed from the House majority. That number is nine if they hold on to a vacant seat in a November special election as expected.

Two Democrats, Akilah Bacy and Josh Wallenstein, have already launched bids for Bohac’s House District 138 in 2020. The Democrat who gave Bohac a close call in 2018, Adam Milasincic, decided in April not to run again and gave his support to Bacy, a Houston attorney.

The Texas Democratic Party reacted to Bohac’s announcement with confidence, saying the party “will flip House District 138.”

“Texas is the biggest battleground state,” party spokesman Abhi Rahman said in a statement. “That’s why vulnerable State Representative Dwayne Bohac threw in the towel instead of being thrown out of office. Republicans know we will take back the Texas House and win up and down the ballot.”

Bohac weighed in on the 2020 election in his statement, first by quoting former President Ronald Reagan: “The future doesn’t belong to the light-hearted. It belongs to the brave.”

“I look forward to supporting the best brave public servant from HD 138 that emerges to serve our community who will fight without fear for what is best for our neighborhoods and pro-family, pro-taxpayer, pro-business Texas values,” Bohac said.

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