GOP Rep. Conaway Won't Seek Re-election in 2020

Rep. Mike Conaway of Texas will not seek reelection in 2020, Politico reported on Wednesday.

This makes him the fifth Republican in the House of Representatives to announce their retirement over the past two weeks.

However, Conaway's district in Texas is heavily Republican and is all but certain to remain in the GOP's hands in next year's election, The Texas Tribune reported.

Conaway has served in Congress for 15 years.

He rose to national prominence in 2017 when he took over the House Intelligence Committee's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election after the panel's then-chairman, Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., agreed to give up leadership of the probe amid questions surrounding his ethics, according to Politico.

Conaway, who is also the top Republican on the House Agriculture Committee, is a longtime ally of George W. Bush.

His decision to forgo running for another term is considered a surprise to some delegation insiders, as Conaway was on a path to take GOP leadership of the House Intelligence Committee in the coming years, according to the Tribune.

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