Brownsville Democrat Eddie Lucio won't seek reelection after 30 years in Texas Senate

State Sen. Eddie Lucio Jr., a Brownsville Democrat known for his conservative voting record on abortion and other social issues, announced Thursday that he will not seek reelection after 30 years in the Senate.

Lucio, 75, who previously announced that he was running again in 2022, gave no reasons for his change of heart during a Harlingen news conference to discuss his decision.

"I'm retiring, for good reasons — family and to do some of the things that I've been wanting to do, like my own personal ministry to help the less fortunate in our community," he said.

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Lucio's Senate District 27 presently includes Cameron, Hildago, Kenedy, Kleberg and Willacy counties. During the recent legislative session on redistricting, it was redrawn to take in the southern have of Nueces County, but only about 20% of the country's population.

Lucio frequently exasperated his fellow Democrats by supporting abortion regulations — he was a co-author on Senate Bill 8, the six-week abortion ban that is before the U.S. Supreme Court — as well as bills targeting transgender-friendly bathroom policies and transgender student athletes.

But he also stood with his party in recently opposing GOP-drawn redistricting maps for Congress and sweeping changes in voting laws, citing in part their impact on communities of color.

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Sen. Carol Alvarado, D-Houston and head of the Senate Democratic Caucus, praised Lucio for his focus on improving access to education, health, housing and nutrition.

"He worked hard to improve the daily lives of South Texas families in myriad of ways," Alvarado said, pointing to Lucio's efforts to bring interstate highways, colleges, universities and a medical school to the Rio Grande Valley.

Lucio, who was third in seniority in the 31-member Senate, approached political issues with a strong reliance on his Catholic faith and spoke frequently about seeking counsel from church leaders.

That focus, and his staunch opposition to abortion, made Lucio the favorite Democrat of Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, a conservative Republican who presides over the Senate and who named Lucio as one of only two Democrats to lead a Senate committee during the 2019 legislative session.

Many Democrats were less enamored, and Lucio faced spirited if unsuccessful challenges from progressive candidates in the 2020 Democratic primaries, with similar challenges awaiting him in 2022.

Caroline Duble, political director of the abortion rights group Avow, greeted Lucio's departure with enthusiasm.

"Lucio has always been the extremist right’s trusted vote when it comes to attacking abortion access, reproductive health care and LGBTQ+ rights," Duble said. "We’re thrilled at the possibility of new leadership in the Rio Grande Valley."

Lucio, who also served four years in the Texas House before arriving at the Senate in 1991, said his "pro-life convictions" led him to oppose abortion, provide food to low-income students and help children with autism.

"I had always reached out across the aisle to do my best to form these partnerships that would bring back good things, successful endeavors, here to the Valley," Lucio said Thursday. "I urge those in public service today to be bipartisan, to work together as brothers and sisters in Christ."

Lucio joins two other longtime senators in announcing their retirement — Sens. Jane Nelson, R-Flower Mound, who is fourth in seniority, and Kel Seliger, R-Amarillo, who is seventh in seniority and whose district was recently redrawn to facilitate a primary challenger after he had opposed some of Patrick's priorities, including a bill allowing audits of the 2020 election.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Eddie Lucio Jr. to leave Texas Senate after 30 years