Robert Nichols, the most senior Texas Senate Republican, won’t run for reelection

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Sen. Robert Nichols, R-Jacksonville, announced Tuesday he would not seek reelection to his East Texas seat — news that was followed minutes later by Rep. Trent Ashby, R-Lufkin, launching his campaign to succeed him in the upper chamber.

“It had always been my goal to make things better, to stop bad things, to do it in a way I thought was right, never forgetting who I represented and to work at it long enough, but not too long,” said Nichols, who intends to serve out his term through Jan. 12, 2027, in a statement. “It has been one of the greatest honors of my life to have represented the people of East Texas in the Texas Senate.”

Nichols, the most senior Republican in the Senate, bucked his party on several key issues over his six terms, establishing himself in recent years as a rare Republican willing to occasionally break with Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who tightly controls the Senate.

This legislative session, he drew the ire of the state Republican Party for watering down a GOP priority bill to bar political subdivisions, like local governments, from using public funds for lobbying. In 2023, Nichols was the only Senate Republican to reject private school vouchers and a bill preempting local authority. That same year, he was one of just two Senate Republicans who voted to convict Attorney General Ken Paxton on over a dozen articles of impeachment accusing him of corruption and bribery. And in 2022, Nichols was among the first few anti-abortion lawmakers to support an exception for rape to the state’s near-total abortion ban.

Nichols was first elected to the Senate in 2006, representing a district that covers a large piece of East Texas from the Houston suburbs to south of Tyler. He previously served in the 1980s and 1990s as a state transportation commissioner and as mayor and city council member for Jacksonville, a city of 14,000 about a half-hour south of Tyler. He was last reelected in 2022 without any primary opposition and nearly 80% of the vote.

“You are a true statesman and have represented East Texas with honor and steadfast resolve to do what is in the best interest of your district,” Rep. Cody Harris, R-Palestine, posted on social media in response to Nichols’ news. “Texas is better because of you. You will be greatly missed, my friend.”

Ashby, who was elected to the Texas House in 2012 and later named the GOP’s Freshman of the Year, announced his campaign for Nichols’ seat soon after.

In his campaign announcement, Ashby emphasized his commitment to “defend the conservative values that define East and Southeast Texas,” highlighting his work on private property rights, law enforcement, rural infrastructure investments, public schools and teachers and protecting children from “harmful ideologies.”

“This is a time of great change and opportunity for our region, and we need a strong, experienced voice in the Senate — someone who will defend our conservative values, fight for rural communities, and ensure the region remains a priority in Austin,” he said.

Ashby was a key player this legislative session in negotiations over an $8.5 billion public school funding package and an effort to scrap the STAAR test. He sits on the House Natural Resources and Public Education committees.

He was born and raised on a dairy and diversified livestock operation in Rusk County, and he serves as a senior vice president at VeraBank, according to his campaign website.

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