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Veteran state Rep. Garnet Coleman (D-Houston) has announced he plans to retire and won’t be seeking re-election in 2022.
After three decades of serving in the 147th District, Coleman recently posted on Twitter, “I will not be seeking re-election this coming year. Thank you all for your years of support.”
Coleman later told the Texas Tribune his retirement is largely based on health concerns, though he plans to stay “involved in public policy as much as” he can.
"I'm proud of the work I've done and my office has done," he added. "It's just time to do something else — I'm 60 years old [and want to] use the rest of my time doing positive things."
Overall, Coleman ranks fifth in seniority among the 150-member House. Since 2009, he has held the added post of chair of the House County Affairs Committee. He also chairs the Texas Legislative Study Group, a Democratic-leaning research caucus in the lower chamber.
Back in May, Coleman nearly collapsed on the House floor. Over time, the illness he was diagnosed with was serious enough to lead to the amputation of his lower right leg. The veteran lawmaker’s recovery from surgery kept him stationed in Houston at a time when other Democratic lawmakers fled to Washington as part of a plan to break quorum and back legislation they were adamantly opposed to.
House Democratic Caucus chair Chris Turner wasted little time branding Coleman’s retirement "a loss for the Democratic Caucus, the Texas House and the entire state of Texas," pointing to the ongoing work he has done in the areas of health care and mental health policy.
“One of the most effective legislators in Texas, Chairman Coleman is a master at writing legislation and then using his muscle and political know-how to get it passed," Turner said. "Garnet’s work ethic, intelligence and passion for public policy have changed the lives of so many Texans for the better."
Coleman’s decision to walk away comes at the same time that roughly two dozen other House members have announced they will not seek reelection to the lower chamber heading into the 2022 election cycle.
Coleman told the Texas Standard in some ways the job lost a bit of its luster for him.
"Yeah, it ceased to be fulfilling because it’s hard work,” he said. “I mean, I wrote the budget. I’m not one of these people who doesn’t work hard and doesn’t do policy. But when my health equity bill is killed because it’s called 'critical race theory' – when we see in the news day to day that we have one of the worst disparities in health care than almost any other state."