Rep. Charlie Howard (R – Sugar Land) will not seek re-election in House District 26. Howard has said that he will serve out his term. Sugar Land Mayor Pro Tem Jacquie Chaumette has already announced her intent to run for the seat as has Sonal Bhuchar, a member of the Fort Bend ISD board and a physical therapist.
Freshman Rep. Lanham Lyne (R-Wichita Falls) will not seek re-election in House District 69. After seven years of public service as Mayor of Wichita Falls and as a state representative, Lyne said he wants to spend time with his family. Wichita Falls banker James Frank, vice chairman of the Wichita Falls Chamber of Commerce, will run for the seat as a Republican.
Another freshman, Rep. Jose Aliseda (R-Beeville), will run for district attorney in the 156th judicial district instead of seeking re-election in House District 35. Seated in Beeville, the 156th Judicial District covers Bee, McMullen and Live Oak counties.
Rep. Rodney Anderson (R-Plano) officially announced that he will run against Sen. Chris Harris (R-Ft. Worth) in the Republican primary for Senate District 9.
Houston attorney Mike Schofield will run for House District 136, currently represented by Rep. Beverly Woolley (R-Houston). Woolley has previously announced that she is not seeking re-election.
Cedar Park City Councilman Tony Dale will run in the Republican primary for the newly created House District 149 centered in Williamson County. Former state representative Corbin Van Arsdale has already announced his intent to run for the seat.
Gov. Rick Perry made several key appointments in recent weeks. Robert Schmidt of Aledo was named chair of the Texas Racing Commission, the state commission that oversees pari-mutuel wagering on horse and greyhound racing. Schmidt is an orthopedic surgeon and a partner at the Texas Hip and Knee Center. Raymond Palacios Jr. of El Paso was appointed to the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles Board for a term to expire Feb. 1, 2013. Palacios is president of Bravo Chevrolet Cadillac and Hummer and is a past district director of the Texas Automotive Dealers Association.