The most senior Republican member of the Texas Senate says he won't run for his Senate office again, but then state Rep. Trent Ashby announced his candidacy for Nichols' District 8 seat.

Senator Robert Nichols, who's been in the Senate since 2006, announced on Tuesday afternoon he will not seek reelection for his District 3 seat that covers 8 counties, including large parts of East Texas and Southeast Texas.

As state representative for House District 9, Representative Trent Ashby serves a 6-county East and Southeast Texas district within the boundaries of Senate District 3.

The news comes on the heels of the announcement Tuesday by Ft. Worth-based state Rep. Nate Schlatzline that he's running for the state Senate seat now vacated by Kelly Hancock, who resigned last week to become Texas’ acting comptroller

In a Tuesday statement, Sen. Nichols said, "Today, I am announcing that I will not be running again for the Texas Senate. I do intend to continue serving the people and communities of Senate District 3 until the end of my current term, ending January 12, 2027.

"I feel truly blessed to have had the honor to represent the people of East and Southeast Texas in the Legislature. By the end of my term, I will have served 20 years in the Legislature and an additional 8½ years, serving the State as a Transportation Commissioner under both Governor George W. Bush and Governor Rick Perry. I appreciate their trust in me.

"It has been a real honor to have served with an incredibly dedicated and quality staff at the State Capitol as well as our three District offices. These men and women have been truly committed to the people and communities we have served. They have given extra effort to help those we represent. I will forever be thankful for their work.

"I also want to thank my wife, Donna for her support over the years as well as our three children, Brittney, Joshua and Collynn’rae who have always supported my efforts.

"It had always been my goal to make things better, to stop bad things, to do it in a way I thought was right, never forgetting who I represented and to work at it long enough, but not too long.

"It has been one of the greatest honors of my life to have represented the people of East Texas in the Texas Senate."

Also in a statement Tuesday afternoon, Rep. Ashby wrote, “It’s been the honor of a lifetime to represent the people of East Texas in the Texas House,” Ashby said. “But this is a time of great change and opportunity for our region, and we need a strong, experienced voice in the Senate — someone who will defend our conservative values, fight for rural communities and ensure the region remains a priority in Austin.”

Michael Berry