Farewell to a good legislator.
Rep. Ruth Jones McClendon
State Rep. Ruth Jones McClendon, who isn’t seeking re-election this year, has submitted a letter of resignation to Gov. Greg Abbott effective Sunday, with 11 months remaining in her term.
McClendon, D-San Antonio, has served in the Texas House representing the East Side district since 1996. She currently serves as chair of the House Committee on Rules and Resolutions, and sits on the Appropriations and Transportation committees.
Last year, amid health woes, she announced she would not seek another two-year term. She acknowledged she had been treated for non-smoker’s lung cancer since 2009.
Her announced retirement prompted six Democrats to join the March 1 primary race in District 120.
See here for some background. One presumes there will be a special election in May to fill the remainder of Rep. McClendon’s term, as there is with HD139, but we won’t know until Greg Abbott announces it. HD120 is solidly Democratic – President Obama took 64.6% of the vote in 2012 – and a check of the SOS 2016 candidate filing page shows that no Republicans filed for the seat, so the primary and runoff will determine Rep. McClendon’s successor. I wish her good health and all the best in retirement. The Trib and the Rivard Report have more.